Stanford savors baseball comeback

The regular season is winding down and the race for the postseason is heating up. Stanford's baseball team understands even weeknight games are important if the Cardinal hope to host a regional.

Maybe that's why the team was so excited about coming from behind to beat visiting USF, 6-3, in a nonconference game Tuesday night.

"At this point in the season every game is big," said Stanford freshman pitcher David Schmidt, who pitched two innings to earn the win. "We needed this one."

Eric Smith and Brian Ragira each doubled home a run in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Cardinal scored four times to erase a 3-2 deficit.

Stanford (33-14) travels to Utah for a Pac-12 series that begins Friday.

"We have to go out and try to win every game we play from here on out," Schmidt said. "We have to go down there and play like it's the seventh game of the World Series."

Smith's double tied the game and Tyler Gaffney worked a bases-loaded walk to plate the go-ahead run. Stephen Piscotty also drove in a run in the inning.

A.J. Vanegas recorded a strikeout with the bases loaded for his fourth save.

Schmidt (3-1) held the closer's job at the beginning of the season, but he's barely thought about losing it to Vanegas.

"We all have our jobs to do. If we want to go far we have to take care of things," he said. "We're all very capable. We're up to the task."

Women's tennis
Stanford (20-1) advances to the NCAA Championship round of 16 for the 27th year in a row. Ranked No. 5 in the latest edition of the national rankings but seeded No. 4 overall in the postseason draw, the Cardinal owns a 122-15 all-time record in the NCAA Tournament.

Stanford is hopeful that sophomore All-American Kristie Ahn, who has played in only three matches this year, can return to competition.

Ahn battled a right ankle injury late last year that essentially sidelined her during the NCAA Tournament, while a left foot injury has kept her unavailable for practically all of this year.

Ahn's presence can positively impact Stanford, sliding both Ellen Tsay and Veronica Li down one spot in the lineup. If she can't go, Natalie Dillon gets the call at No. 6 and the former walk-on has made the most of her opportunity this year.

Stanford's top two players, Mallory Burdette and Nicole Gibbs, rank among the nation's top-five in both singles (Gibbs is No. 3, Burdette is No. 5) and doubles (ranked No. 2).

Women's crew
Stanford earned one of 16 bids to the NCAA Championships it was learned Tuesday. The national championship event will be held beginning May 25 on Lake Mercer in West Windsor, N.J.

The Cardinal will participate in the event as a team for the fourth straight year. Stanford won the team NCAA title in 2009 and finished second last year, tying Brown atop the points leaderboard but missing out on the crown by a .05-second loss in the I Eight Grand Final.

Field hockey
Stanford head coach Tara Danielson has announced the signing of six recruits to National Letters of Intent. The group will join the Cardinal for the 2012 campaign.

The class includes: Lauren Becker (Wissahickon, Pa.), Jess Chisholm (Tauranga, New Zealand), Clemence Couteau (Campbell, Calif.), Catherine Dawson (Houston, Texas), Samantha Neuber (Phoenixville, Pa.) and Maddie Secco (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada).

"We are really excited to welcome these talented student-athletes as part of our program," said head coach Tara Danielson, who is 32-10 at the helm in two years on The Farm. "In addition to bringing an aggressive and high-energy approach to the game, this class demonstrates consistency in achievement, attitude and effort on the field and in the classroom. They will contribute greatly to our culture, and we look forward to continuing to develop them both on and off the field in the years to come."

? Palo Alto Online Sports

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