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Spartan baseball head coach Sam Piraro shows his fury and is ejected by multiple umpires after disagreeing with their call.

Cardinal balks away with victory at SJSU, 6-5

By: Matthew Kimel

Posted: 5/13/09

Sam Piraro threw his hat down to the ground, screamed at the umpires and was immediately thrown out of the game after a questionable call. The game turned out to be just as frustrating for the rest of the Spartans.

Kellen Kiilsgaard's RBI single in the 13th inning proved to be the difference in Stanford's 6-5 win over SJSU at Municipal Stadium.

The Spartans (35-18) lost to the Cardinal in a nonconference game for the second time in eight days.

"It's very disappointing, especially when you have several opportunities," said Tom Kunis, SJSU's associate head coach. "We had runners in scoring position in the ninth, 10th and 11th and didn't convert. … A single scores it and the game's over."

With the Spartans down 4-2 in the seventh, Stanford reliever Dan Sandbrink appeared to have errantly stepped off the rubber while attempting a pick off at second, and his throw stumbled over to the shortstop far off the bag.

"What happened was, the guy tried to run a pick with the shortstop at second base when the shortstop wasn't at second base, … which is a balk," Kunis said.

Piraro came out to argue the no-balk call, and Stanford coach Mark Marquess followed suit, arguing profusely that no balk was committed.

After what seemed like an eternity, the umpires decided not to overturn their call, leading to Piraro's ejection.

Following the long hiatus, Jason Martin came up to the plate and hit a blooper to right field. Stanford outfielder Kiilsgaard dove for the ball, dropped it, and the Spartans scored two runs to tie the game at four runs apiece in the top of the seventh.

"I wasn't trying to do too much," Martin said. "I was trying to hit a ground ball to second base. … I was just trying to get a run in. Luckily, I got two in."

The Cardinal rallied back with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Kiilsgaard's RBI single through the right side of the infield scored the go-ahead run, putting the Spartans on the brink of defeat.

But the Spartans tied the game. Again.

With two outs and nobody on, Martin struck out for what could have been the last out of the game. But Stanford catcher Zach Jones dropped the ball, and Martin made it safely to first base.

John Shaffer and Kyle Bellows followed with back-to-back infield singles, loading the bases. Martin would then score from third on a wild pitch to tie the score at five apiece.

With two outs and a runner on first in the bottom of the 10th, the Cardinal walked Craig Hertler on four straight pitches, bringing Anthony Aguilera up to bat. Aguilera smashed a 2-2 pitch to deep left field, and Toby Gerhart made a game-saving, highlight reel catch as he crashed into the left-field wall.

In the 11th inning, the Spartans put shortstop Bellows on the mound - the eighth Spartan to pitch in the game. Despite putting runners on first and second, Bellows escaped the inning unharmed.

But the Cardinal would break through in the 13th against Bellows. With one out and runners on first and third base, Kiilsgaard singled to right field, giving Stanford a 6-5 lead.

Blake Hancock shut down the Spartans in the bottom of the 13th, securing the Cardinal victory.

The game started off slowly, as both teams were held scoreless until the fourth inning.

Relief pitchers Jack Adams and Esteban Guzman threw three no-hit, shutout innings to for the Spartans. Max Peterson, usually a starter for SJSU, made his first relief appearance of the year to start the top of the fourth and gave up two hits and one run, giving the Cardinal a 1-0 lead.

Making his first start of the season for the Cardinal, Michael Marshall threw five shutout innings, allowing just three hits.

Scott Snodgress relieved Marshall to start the bottom of the sixth and gave up a leadoff double to Martin. Shaffer moved Martin over to third on a ground out to second. Martin eventually scored from third on a wild pitch, evening the score at one.

In a wild seventh inning, both teams scored three runs.

With Luke Mazzanti on the mound for the Spartans, Jake Schlander hit a sacrifice fly to the left-center field wall, with runners on second and third to give Stanford a 2-1 lead.

Mazzanti then put runners on first and second, loading the bases. With Joey August up to bat and one out, Mazzanti balked and gave up another run. Toby Gerhart's sac fly to deep left field brought in another, giving Stanford a 4-1 lead.

The Spartans tied the game after scoring three runs in the bottom of seventh, capped by Martin's two-run single.