Opportunistic Stanford Gets Past Fullerton, 3-1

There wasn’t much that separated the two top-ranked teams in college baseball again Saturday.

No. 1 Stanford and Cal State Fullerton each had six hits in the second game of the three-game series, but Stanford made the most of its opportunities in a 3-1 victory in front of 1,106 at Sunken Diamond.

The victory gave the Cardinal a 2-0 series lead and a 4-0 start. Fullerton, which lost by one run when Stanford scored in the bottom of the ninth inning Friday night, dropped to 0-2.

“They’re doing the things good teams do, and they deserved to win both games,” Fullerton Coach George Horton said. “We’re not getting hits with runners in scoring position, but you have to give their pitchers credit for that too.”

Right-hander Justin Wayne (2-0) won his 18th game with only one loss over three seasons. Wayne struck out seven and walked one in seven innings, and freshman Tim Cunningham held Fullerton hitless in the final two innings.

Left-hander Jon Smith (0-1) pitched well for Fullerton through five innings, but was hurt by two errors. Matt Sorensen gave up one walk and no hits in the final three innings.

A pop fly that Fullerton first baseman Aaron Rifkin dropped near the mound for a two-base error led to a Stanford run in the third. Craig Thompson went to third on a balk by Smith and scored on Eric Bruntlett’s sacrifice fly.

The Cardinal scored two more runs in the fifth, and Smith’s bad pickoff throw was a factor. Craig Thompson doubled, took third on Smith’s high throw to second, and scored when Bruntlett singled to left. Joe Borchard’s two-out triple to the fence in right brought in the third run.