After losing the first two of three to No. 20 Southern California, Stanford baseball needed a win last Sunday to avoid its first series sweep at home since 1997. Trailing 8-4 heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Cardinal’s chances of salvaging a win against the Trojans were looking bleak indeed as the announcement went out over the PA system that the men’s basketball team had been selected to the NCAA Tournament.

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Alvin Chow

Sophomore infielder Cord Phelps slides into home for a run in Sunday’s fifth inning. The Cardinal was able to put together 10 runs in two innings to avoid a series sweep, slipping by No. 20 Southern California for a 14-9 win.

It may be doubtful that news of the basketball squad’s success spurred Stanford on to its 10 runs over the next two innings of play. But even so, the next hour and a half would prove memorable for fans at Sunken Diamond as the Cardinal comeback downed USC, 14-9.

With its next competition roughly two weeks away, the win was especially important for Stanford’s (11-8) spirits going into the break.

“It means a lot,” junior right fielder Michael Taylor said. “It’s a momentum thing going into two weeks of practice. You have two weeks off, you’re going into finals and you really don’t want to be thinking about getting swept at home, especially by the Trojans. So it’s huge to come out and play real hard — and I think we played hard in the first two games, just didn’t get some breaks and didn’t finish in some important areas.”

“Today obviously in the last two frames we had some resolve and we came out and did what we were capable of doing,” he continued. “So going into the break like that — now everyone feels good, now everyone feels ready to get going on those next two weeks of practice and workouts.”

Taylor played a big role in the Cardinal’s come-from-behind win Sunday, going 4-for-5 at the plate, scoring three runs and knocking in a career-high five RBI. Moreover, Taylor’s hits always seemed to key rallies for the Cardinal, as he batted in the squad’s first runs in every inning in which Stanford scored.

It was also an important day for the standout right fielder’s consistency. Taylor leads the team with 17 RBI and a .519 slugging percentage, but his .286 batting average to start the year is a far cry from his .325 mark last season. With his four hits Sunday, Taylor raised his season average by 36 points.

“I think if you look back over my first two years on the Farm, and really over my whole career, I’ve kind of been a slow starter,” Taylor said. “I don’t really know why that is. I really tried to focus hard to make sure that didn’t happen this year, but it did anyway. But if you just keep working, the game evens out.”

Also keying the Cardinal’s rally against USC (15-9) were sophomore center fielder Sean Ratliff, who scored three runs on the day, and sophomore left fielder Joey August who drove in three.

Pitching was again a problem area for Stanford, as junior Nolan Gallagher went three innings and gave up four earned runs — the Cardinal needed seven pitchers to get through the day. Right-handed sophomore Max Fearnow eventually earned the win, going two innings and allowing no runs to finish the game for Stanford.

“We’ve got a lot of guys who can pitch better than they are now, and they will,” head coach Mark Marquess said. “The good thing is that we’ll get a little time here and get a little work, at least before finals, and then also get a little time off. That won’t hurt us in any phase.”

Saturday’s game was highlighted by a strong effort from sophomore southpaw Jeremy Bleich, who threw 8.2 solid innings, giving up both runs in the ninth. Unfortunately, the Cardinal could not muster any offense to go along with Bleich’s strong performance, losing 2-1.

“[Bleich’s] last two outings have been very good,” Marquess said. “He’s done a great job his last two starts. His fastball is very good and it was great in the game yesterday. It’s just a shame he couldn’t get the win there, but he went 8.2 innings and did a good job, so that’s a good sign.”

The series started in a similarly heartbreaking fashion for Stanford on Friday, as the Trojans rode a five-run eighth inning to an 11-8 victory.

Stanford will next face Sacramento State (5-13) in a home-and-home two-game set after taking less than two weeks off for end-of-quarter exams. The Cardinal will host the Hornets on March 24 before traveling to Sacramento, Calif. on March 25.