Stanford, Calif. - With runners on second and third and no outs in the ninth, San Jose State could push across just one run and fell to the No. 9 Cardinal of Stanford 5-2 on Tuesday night in Sunken Diamond.
 
The loss drops the Spartans overall record to 19-9 while Stanford improves to 14-7.
 
Trailing 5-1, Jason Martin and pinch hitter Matt Carroll both singled to open the top of the ninth.  Martin and pinch runner Michael Reiling moved to second and third on a wild pitch from Cardinal closer Chris Reed.
 
Danny Stienstra then grounded out the right side to score Martin and cut the lead to 5-2.  Reiling moved to third on the play, but successive strike outs ended the threat and the game.
 
"We were one batter from getting the tying run to the plate," head coach Sam Piraro said, "but we just weren't able to sustain the inning."
 
The Spartans who managed just four hits for the second game in a row were behind the eight ball early on. 
 
In the bottom of the first Cardinal Brian Ragira got a two-out RBI single to plate a runner from second base and stake Stanford to a 1-0 lead.
 
Nick Schulz crushed a shot to the gap in left center in the top of the second, but leftfielder Ben Clowe made a great catch at the wall to rob him of a sure double and ended the frame.
 
In the Stanford second, they sent eight men to the plate, got three hits, including two doubles and plated four runs to increase their advantage to 5-0.
 
Spartans starter Johnny Melero set the Cardinal down in order in the third before making way for reliever D.J. Slaton.  Slaton pitched a perfect fourth, fifth and sixth innings.
 
"By the third inning the horse was out of the barn," Piraro said.  "We put ourselves in a hole and that's not something you want to do against an outfit like Stanford.  I thought D.J. (Slaton) did a real nice job taking control of the situation and settling things down for us."
 
The Spartans had their first baserunner in the fourth courtesy of a Craig Hertler walk and did not have another until the sixth when Michael DiRocco led off with a walk. 
 
Nick Borg followed DiRocco with a single through the right side, for the Spartans first hit of the night.  Two batters later, with DiRocco on third, Martin hit into a 6-to-4 fielder's choice that scored the Spartans first run and cut the Stanford lead to 5-1.
 
Eric LeBaron tossed the seventh and eighth innings for San Jose State.  In the eighth two fielding errors and a walk loaded the bases with no outs.  LeBaron dug deep, struck out the next two batters and induced a pop out to second base to end the threat.
 
"We made a couple of mistakes behind Eric which could have allowed things get out of hand," Piraro said, "but to his credit he kept his poise and kept us in the game going to the ninth."
 
Borg led the Spartans with two hits.  Johnny Melero (1-1) tossed 3.0 innings and gave up all five hits and runs in taking the loss.  Slaton struck out five of the nine batters he faced in three innings.  LeBaron finished the night with two strike outs and two walks in two innings work.
 
Stanford used four pitchers with Danny Sandbrink (2-0) going 4.0 innings of no-hit ball to earn the win.
 
The Spartans next take the field on Friday in Municipal Stadium when they open Western Athletic Conference play.  They welcome No. 9 Fresno State for a four-game weekend series.  First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.
 
Stanford 5, San Jose State 2 (Apr 05, 2011 at Stanford, CA)
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San Jose State...... 000 001 001  -  2  4  3      (19-9)
Stanford............ 140 000 00X  -  5  5  0      (14-7)
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Pitchers: San Jose State - Melero, Johnny; Slaton, D.J.(4); LeBaron, Eric(7) and
DiRocco, Michael. Stanford - Sandbrink, D; Vanegas, AJ(5); Snodgress, S(7); Reed, C(9) and
Jones, Za.
Win-Sandbrink, D(2-0)  Loss-Melero, Johnny(1-1)  T-2:25  A-1428