Jun 19, 2008 - 12:47 AM
0 shoutsOMAHA, Nebraska (Ticker) -- Three first-round picks in the 2008 Major League Baseball draft, the top seed in the NCAA tournament and the moxie of a champion - Miami had it all. That is, until Stanford's heavy hitters got in its way.
Cord Phelps had three hits to lead the offensive attack by the Cardinal as they moved past the Hurricanes, 8-3, in an elimination game in the College World Series on Wednesday.
"Obviously, an elimination game was huge. A huge win for us," Stanford coach Mark Marquess said. "I know we got a great pitching performance by (starter Danny Sandbrink). The last time he pitched was an elimination game vs. a very good Pepperdine team. The key for us was our offense. We got some big hits.
"We won the big spots tonight vs. a very good University of Miami team."
Stanford (41-23-2) will play No. 8 Georgia on Friday in another elimination contest.
Miami (53-11) threatened late in the game, but a four-run fifth inning by Stanford was too much to overcome.
"I have to credit their pitching," Miami coach Jim Morris said. "We had opportunities with one or two outs and guys on base and didn't get it in. We are an explosive club and we expect to get it done. In the eighth or ninth, we had a good try to come back.
"(Stanford) outplayed us tonight in every part of the game."
Cardinal reliever Erik Davis surrendered a solo home run by Yasmani Grandal in the seventh and loaded the bases with none out in the eighth. However, the only run Miami was able to muster was a sacrifice fly by Jason Haggerty, which cut the deficit to 8-3.
Davis threw four innings, allowing two runs and seven hits while striking out six. Closer Drew Storen came on with two on and none out in the ninth and retired three straight.
"I think this was not my best game stat-wise, but team-wise," Davis said. "Going into it, I knew if we could hang with them late in the game, we had a chance."
In the fifth, Brent Milleville led off with a single before Sean Ratliff belted a one-out, two-run homer, which knocked Miami starter Enrique Garcia out of the game. Phelps hit a two-run triple off reliever Anthony Nalepa and Jake Schlander delivered an RBI single with two outs to give Stanford a 7-1 lead.
"He hung a split-finger over the plate," Ratliff said of his homer. "He threw a first pitch for a ball. I saw it out of his hand early and could get my hands out and extended."
Garcia lasted just 4 1/3 innings in which he allowed five runs and eight hits.
After Blake Tekkote and Jemile Weeks opened the game with singles, Mark Sobolewski hit a one-out sacrifice fly to center to put Miami on the board first.
Jason Castro tied the game in the third with an RBI single and Randy Molina lifted a sacrifice fly later in the inning to put Stanford ahead for good, 2-1. Joey August's run-scoring base hit in the fourth doubled the advantage.
"It's been all year. Hitting is contagious," said Phelps, who collected three hits and was a homer shy of the cycle. "Once one guy gets going, we all hit."
Sandbrink threw four-plus innings for the Cardinal, allowing one run and two hits with three strikeouts. Yonder Alonso, who was drafted seventh overall by the Cincinnati Reds earlier this month, struck out twice against Stanford's starter.
"We were trying to do too much out there," Alonso said. "Their guy had a good changeup. They're great competitors."
