San Jose, Calif. - The Stanford University baseball team showed why it is ranked third in the country at Municipal Stadium on Sunday, May 4, striking for 16 runs over the final two frames to overturn a 6-1 deficit and defeat San Jose State University, 17-6, in the second half of a two-game home-and-home non-conference series.

San Jose State, playing its eighth consecutive out-of-conference game, drops to 25-20 overall. Stanford moves to 27-15-2 overall in sweeping the two-game season series with the Spartans. The Cardinal had won Saturday’s meeting at Klein Field at Sunken Diamond, 9-1.

The result was not a fair indicator of the effort the Spartans put in through the first seven-plus innings of the game, behind another stalwart effort on the mound by junior right-hander Scott Sobczak. The native of Millbrae, Calif., tamed one of the nation’s premier offenses for much of the afternoon, setting down the first 11 Cardinal batters down in order for starters, before allowing just one run through the first seven frames on a fifth-inning solo home run by Stanford’s hero on the day, Sean Ratliff.

Ratliff would later connect on his second home run of the day and 13th of the season in the eighth, a game-tying grand slam over the wall in deep center on a 1-0 count with two outs. Stanford then brought 15 men to the plate in an 11-run ninth. The 17 runs are the most scored by a Spartan opponent this season. San Jose State had started the day with the top team ERA in the Western Athletic Conference of 4.61.

Sobczak left the game in the eighth inning with two outs and Cardinal runners at first and second. The Spartans were still maintaining a 6-1 lead after a two-run fifth and a four-run outburst in the sixth, but Sobczak had thrown 129 pitches. Back-to-back walks following his departure made it a 6-2 margin and left the bases full for Ratliff’s shot.

The final line for Sobczak read three runs on five hits and two walks over 7.2 innings pitched. He struck out eight, including the side in the fourth around a two-out single to right by junior catcher Jason Castro that broke up his perfect game. In his last five appearances, four of them starts, Sobczak has allowed just six earned runs over 30.0 innings for an ERA of 1.80.

Sunday’s game began in the same manner as Saturday’s contest at Stanford, with the Spartans’ starting pitcher going through the formidable Cardinal order the first time around without allowing a single base runner. After junior left-hander David Berner accomplished the feat Saturday before a leadoff walk in the fourth got him into trouble, Sobczak took it two batters further into the fourth frame. He actually went to a full count on Stanford leadoff batter Cord Phelps to begin the fourth, but instead of ball four, he got a called third strike on the junior second baseman. The Skyline College transfer then also struck out Joey August before the Castro single on a 1-0 count put the visitors on base for the first time.

In the first, Sobczak was aided by a nice play down the line by freshman first baseman Danny Stienstra on the unassisted groundball putout for the second out. The second inning began with Brent Milleville hitting a drive up the middle that glanced off of Sobczak and toward sophomore Kyle Bellows at shortstop, with the Santa Teresa High School product making a bare-handed pickup and throw to Stienstra for the out. Sobczak followed that with back-to-back strikeouts on called third strikes, including one on Ratliff to end the frame.

After Ratliff’s first home run opened the scoring in the fifth, the Spartans took a 2-1 lead in the bottom half of the frame. A one-out single by junior second baseman John Shaffer preceded a walk by junior centerfielder Michael Drake. Freshman leftfielder Craig Hertler then hit a grounder to the right side that down as a fielder’s choice, but all three runners were safe on Milleville’s throwing error to second, loading the bases. Bellows then drew a walk to bring in Shaffer to tie the game, and Stienstra’s ground ball to the right side scored Drake.

With David Stringer on in place of starter Erik Davis to pitch for the visitors, the four-run Spartan sixth began with a pinch-hit, infield single by Michael Maehl. Senior third baseman Sonny Garza followed with a single up the middle, and freshman catcher Bryson Rahier walked to load the bases. Alex Pracher relieved Stringer, and promptly gave up a two-run double down the left field line to Shaffer on his third pitch, with Drake then hitting a single to right to plate Rahier and move Shaffer to third. Blake Hancock became the third Cardinal pitcher in the frame without an out being recorded, and the junior left-hander walked Hertler to fill the bases once again, before striking out Bellows. Stienstra drew a third Spartan walk in the inning to knock in Shaffer for a 6-1 lead, but Hancock then induced a 4-6-3 double play to keep the margin from getting worse.

There were some scary moments right in the middle of the big Cardinal ninth as Drake went crashing into the center field wall in a courageous, all-out pursuit of a deep drive by Saturday’s winner on the mound, dual player Austin Yount, in a pinch-hitting role. The play went down as a two-run triple as Drake lay seemingly motionless on the warning track for some time before finally getting up and getting carted off the field. He was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital for precautionary measures, and was released later in the evening.

Shaffer finished 2-for-4 with his 10th double, two runs and two RBI. Stienstra went 1-for-4 to extend his team-best hit streak to five games, with two RBI and his second collegiate stolen base. Drake was 1-for-3 with a walk, run and RBI. Jack Adams (3-2) was pinned with the loss for San Jose State in relief, as a total of four Spartan hurlers saw action in place of Sobczak.

San Jose State snapped Davis’ string of six straight winning decisions on the mound. The senior right-hander had produced four straight complete games during that span as well, before a six-inning effort in a 26-5 home romp over Pac-10 foe USC on Saturday, April 26. Davis gave up two unearned runs on four hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out four, not figuring in the decision. Marshall (1-1) tossed 2.2 scoreless innings for his first collegiate win.

Offensively, Ratliff was 2-for-5 with the two home runs and five RBI on the day. Castro was 3-for-4 with a double, two walks, two runs and two RBI, extending his hit streak to 13 games. Walsh went 3-for-3 with two runs scored in just two innings of action after entering the game as a pinch-hitter to lead off the eighth. Phelps, August and Brendan Domaracki added two hits apiece, with Phelps and August combining for five runs scored.

San Jose State will conclude the non-conference portion of its 2008 schedule in Moraga, Calif., this Tuesday afternoon, May 6, against Saint Mary’s College. First pitch at Louis Guisto Field is set for 3:00 p.m.

No. 3 Stanford 17, San Jose State 6

No. 3 Stanford (27-15-2) 000 010 05(11) - 17 18 2
San Jose State (25-20) 000 024 000 - 6 8 0

Davis, Stringer (6), Pracher (6), Hancock (6), Marshall (7) and Castro. Scott Sobczak, Ryan Shopshire (8), Jack Adams (8), Max Peterson (9), Ryan Vander Tuig (9) and Bryson Rahier. WP - Marshall (1-1). LP - Jack Adams (3-2). Save - None. 2B - August, Castro, Milleville, Jones (STAN); John Shaffer (SJSU). 3B - Yount (STAN). HR - Ratliff 2 (13) (STAN). 3 hits - Castro, Walsh (STAN). 2 hits - Phelps, August, Ratliff, Domaracki (STAN); John Shaffer (SJSU). 5 RBI - Ratliff (STAN). 2 RBI - August, Castro, Milleville, Yount (STAN); Danny Stienstra, John Shaffer (SJSU). Attendance - 657.