Stanford, Calif. - San Jose State University had a one-run lead through three innings, but nine unanswered scores in the middle three frames by third-ranked Stanford University sent the Spartans down to a 9-1 defeat in the opener of a two-game home-and-home non-conference baseball series at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond on Saturday afternoon, May 3.

San Jose State falls to 25-19 overall with just its third loss in its last 12 games. Stanford, which entered the game on its first three-game losing skid of the 2008 season, improves to 26-15-2 overall and a perfect 10-0 in Saturday games. The Spartans had won last year’s meeting at Sunken Diamond, 11-8, scoring 10 straight runs in the middle innings themselves, including a six-run fifth, to overturn an early 5-1 deficit.

San Jose State got on the board first, as Danny Stienstra continued his hot hitting by lacing a double down the left field line in his first career at-bat at Sunken Diamond to lead off the second. It was the fifth double of the season for the freshman first basemen out of Woodside, Calif., and Saint Francis High School. Senior third baseman Sonny Garza then made a productive out with a ground ball to the right side of the infield to move the runner to third. Junior rightfielder Alex Sofranac did the same with a sacrifice fly deep to center to send Stienstra home with the game’s first run.

Spartan junior left-handed starter David Berner was magnificent the first time through the Cardinal order, meanwhile, retiring the first nine batters in a row. The third out in the second came courtesy of Craig Hertler, the freshman leftfielder making a nice, running grab toward the wall on a hard-hit drive off the bat of Stanford junior centerfielder Sean Ratliff.

In the third, Berner got his first two strikeouts on the afternoon, both on called third strikes around an infield lineout to give him a third successive 1-2-3 frame. Both Berner and junior right-handed counterpart, Austin Yount, were working quickly to begin the game, as the first three innings took just over half an hour to play on a gorgeous day for baseball at one of the college game’s premier venues.

In the top of the fourth, San Jose State put together a rally after two quick outs registered by Yount on three pitches. Stienstra singled up the middle and Garza followed with a double down the left field line. Sofranac drew a walk to load the bases, but Yount got freshman centerfielder Jason Martin to fly out to left on a 2-2 count to keep the one-run deficit intact for the Cardinal.

Berner finally allowed his first base-runner via a four-pitch walk to junior second baseman and Cardinal leadoff batter Cord Phelps, his team-leading 29th, to begin the bottom half of the fourth. The Cardinal wasted no time in taking advantage, stringing together five straight hits, beginning with back-to-back doubles, to take a 3-1 lead before Berner struck out three straight to curb the damage.

Sophomore leftfielder Toby Gerhart came up with a double down the left field line to put two runners in scoring position with no outs, and junior catcher Justin Castro followed with a two-run double down the right field line to extend his hit streak to 12 games and give Stanford a 2-1 edge. Junior first baseman Brent Milleville then singled through the left side to put runners at the corners, and DH Randy Molina found the hole on the right side to score Castro for 3-1. After Ratliff’s sharp single to right loaded the bases, Berner struck out the next three batters, including freshman shortstop Jake Schlander looking with the count full to end the inning.

San Jose State again threatened a two-out rally in the fifth, but once again was turned away. Junior second baseman John Shaffer worked a walk ahead of a single down the right field line by sophomore shortstop Kyle Bellows that moved him to third. Yount got the next batter to line out however on the infield, in sophomore DH Corey Valine.

Phelps opened the home half of the fifth with his team-leading 12th double of the season to the gap in right center, as Stanford scored its fourth run of the contest in the exact same manner as San Jose State’s first. Gerhart advanced him to third on a right-sided groundout, and Castro’s sacrifice fly brought the run in. An ensuing single by Milleville to right chased Berner out of the game in favor of Anthony Vega, the junior right-hander allowing a single to Molina before striking out Ratliff swinging with runners at the corners.

A five-run sixth broke the game open for Stanford, the big hit a two-run blast over the wall in straightaway center by Milleville, his fifth of the campaign, to cap the scoring with two outs.

Berner (2-6) allowed four runs on seven hits and one walk over 4.2 innings pitched, taking the loss. He struck out five. Vega gave up two runs on two hits and one walk in 0.2 innings, striking out one. Sophomore right-hander Spencer Snodgrass had three runs on three hits against him in 0.2 frames. Trevor Gibson threw the seventh, giving up two singles in between a trio of groundouts to second base. The junior right-hander got the first out of the eighth and left in place of sophomore left-hander Christopher McNeil with runners at first and second after hitting Gerhart to lead off and surrendering a one-out single to Milleville. McNeil, a San Jose native, struck out pinch-hitter Wande Olabisi and got Ratliff to fly out.

Stienstra finished 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, increasing his team-leading season batting average to .387.

Yount (3-2), a junior right-hander and the nephew of Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Robin Yount, gave up one run on four hits and three walks over 7.0 frames, striking out one. The freshman tandem of Alex Pracher and Michael De Groot got the final six outs in order.

Castro went 1-for-4 with a double, sacrifice fly, run scored and a career-high four RBI offensively for the Cardinal. Milleville was 4-for-5 with the home run, run scored and two RBI. Phelps, Gerhart, Molina and freshman third baseman Zach Jones added two hits apiece, with Phelps (3) and Gerhart (2) combining to score five runs at the top of the order.

The series now shifts to San Jose Municipal Stadium on Sunday, May 4. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m., with junior right-hander Scott Sobczak (4-1, 3.86 ERA) the probable starter on the mound for the Spartans against senior right-hander Erik Davis (7-1, 3.75 ERA) for Stanford. Fans unable to attend the game can listen to it live on KSJS (90.5 FM) and at ksjs.org. Live statistics are available at SJSUSpartans.com.

No. 3 Stanford 9, San Jose State 1

San Jose State (25-19) 010 000 000 - 1 4 0
No. 3 Stanford (26-15-2) 000 315 00X - 9 15 0

David Berner, Anthony Vega (5), Spencer Snodgrass (6), Trevor Gibson (7), Christopher McNeil (8) and Anthony Aguilera, Bryson Rahier (7). Yount, Pracher (8), De Groot (9) and Castro. WP - Yount (3-2). LP - David Berner (2-6). Save - None. 2B - Danny Stienstra, Sonny Garza (SJSU); Gerhart 2, Castro, Phelps (STAN). HR - Milleville (5) (STAN). 4 hits - Milleville (STAN). 2 hits - Danny Stienstra (SJSU); Molina, Phelps, Gerhart, Jones (STAN). 4 RBI - Castro (STAN). 2 RBI - Milleville (STAN). Attendance - 1538.