2003 College World Series Game 9
Complete CWS Index

By John Manuel
June 17, 2003

OMAHA--Stanford has proved, without a shadow of a doubt, that it is better than South Carolina.

As if the Cardinal hadn't proved that Friday afternoon with an 8-0 whitewashing of the Gamecocks, it made its case abundantly clear Tuesday afternoon in an elimination game. Stanford jumped on the Gamecocks early and kept adding runs thanks to a five-RBIs day by sophomore left fielder Danny Putnam to stay alive in the College World Series, beating the Gamecocks 13-6.

South Carolina didn't score in its first 15 innings against the Cardinal before finally breaking out offensively with three home runs in the final three innings Tuesday, but by then it trailed 9-0. The loss eliminates the 45-22 Gamecocks, while moving the Cardinal into a rematch with Cal State Fullerton tomorrow for the bracket championship. If Stanford wins Wednesday, it would have to play the Titans again Thursday.

"We swung the bats very well," Stanford coach Mark Marquess said. "We hit the ball hard, got some clutch hits and were very aggressive with the bats. They weren't walking us, so we had to come out swinging."

No one did like Putnam, who missed three weeks earlier in the season with a foot injury but has become a vital cog in the offense since his return. He narrowly missed becoming the second player in CWS history to hit for the cycle, going 4-for-5 with two singles, a two-run homer (in the seventh) and a double. (Former Arizona coach Jerry Kindall hit for the only cycle in Series play when playing for Minnesota in 1956.) He ranks second on the team in home runs (15) and RBIs (63), leads the team with 18 postseason RBIs, and also contributed with his glove Tuesday.

Putnam, playing on his parents' anniversary, made a running catch on the warning track of a line-drive shot by Justin Harris in the third inning, forced Brian Buscher to hold at third later in the inning with a laser-like throw, and made a diving catch to rob Stephen Tolleson in the sixth.

The defense helped senior righthander Ryan McCally pitch out of repeated jams, as he gave up only one run in seven innings to improve to 7-2 on the season. McCally won his second start of the postseason and has a 1.14 career ERA in the NCAA tournament, but he didn't do it easily against the Gamecocks, who stranded nine runners in the first five innings.

"The defense was great--Putnam had a couple of great plays in left, and (Jonny) Ash had some great plays at third base," McCally said. "Today was one of my toughest wins. I was fighting my control, fighting through at-bats. I didn't have a go-to pitch. It was more like, 'Well, that one worked last time. Let's try that again."

The Gamecocks had the bases full with one out in the second when McCally got Tolleson to hit into a 6-4-3 double play. South Carolina didn't start its rallies until two were out in the third and fourth and left two runners each time, and left two again in the fifth.

"If we get a couple of doubles there, or Tolleson's home run comes in the second instead of the eighth, it's a different game," South Carolina coach Ray Tanner said. "But they made the pitch when they needed and they played great defense. They capitalized on our mistakes."

Many of those came from South Carolina's pitchers, who were pummeled in Omaha for 31 runs. Putnam had offensive help from fellow San Diegan Carlos Quentin, as the junior right fielder went 3-for-3 with a pair of sacrifice flies thrown in. Ash added three hits and three RBIs, including a key two-run triple in the fourth, and junior center fielder Sam Fuld had two more hits, bringing his CWS career total to 21, third-most all-time.

Putnam drove in Stanford's first run, scoring Quentin to cap a two-out rally in the first off South Carolina starter Chris Hernandez. He then kept another two-out rally going with an RBI double in the third, scoring Ash. DH Chris Carter then lined a two-run single to second, making it a 4-0 lead and putting the Cardinal in control.

Stanford put a vise grip on the game with a three-run fourth that chased Hernandez, who continued the futility of South Carolina's starting pitching in the Series. In its three games, South Carolina got just nine innings from its starting pitchers, who gave up 22 hits and 18 runs (all earned) for an 18.00 ERA

"We had a tough time with our pitching out here in Omaha, but they're the reason we got here," Tanner said. "It's a simple combination of reasons. We didn't pitch as good as we're capable, and we had very good opponents. They were able to hit us hard early."

South Carolina finally broke through with a solo homer by Brian Buscher in the seventh, his 15th homer of the season. Buscher went 4-for-4 and also missed out on the cycle only lacking a triple. His four hits gave him 106 for the season, tying for second-best in school history.

The Gamecocks also got a solo homer in the eighth from Bryan Triplett and a two-run shot by Stephen Tolleson, both off reliever Jonny Dyer, but Stanford's David O'Hagan came in to quell the rally before it got too threatening.

Marquess will send his ace, junior righthander John Hudgins (12-3, 3.01), to face Cal State Fullerton tomorrow. "We've seen them about eight times the last two years," Hudgins said. "We all know what we're getting into."