Fullerton Regional: Stanford vs. Illinois Game Thread

Did IL burn through their best pitchers already?

Clowe now 2-for-2 with a 2B and a two-run homer. Illinois could be dipping into the bullpen sooner rather than later.

Both TCU and Rice have been eliminated. Cal, playing in the Houston regional, if it wins twice against Baylor, will host a Super Regional since only Dallas Baptist and Oral Roberts remained in the Ft. Worth regional, the two lowest seeds in that regional.

Stanford, if it wins, will have to travel to Chapel Hill, NC for the Super Regional since UNC won its regional as the #3 seed in the tournament. Only UCLA (to #1 Virginia) and Oregon State (to #6 Vandy) will travel comparable distances for their Super Regionals if they win. Of all the teams left in the tournament, Cal and Baylor have by far the easiest route to the CWS. UCLA and Stanford have by far the most difficult.

In somewhat unrelated news, Clemson and defending champs South Carolina could end up meeting in the Super Regional in a strange coincidence that will surely have some very interesting games if Clemson can find a way to win tomorrow.

4-0 Stanford with a chance for more.

I don’t know whether to be disgusted or amused by it.

I probably won’t know the outcome until tomorrow morning — workday tomorrow and all that.

Don’t trust Stanford to hold a lead against these Comeback Kids either, if they even still have one, the way this inning (4th) is going.

Two runs in the past two innings and a runner on third here in the fourth.

Irvine beat the Bruins at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Bruins should never have been hosting a regional in the first place, but that’s really surprising that they ended up losing their own home regional, once against USF and again tonight.

and at least 50 tosses to 1st.

I have not seen that at all this year from him.

Or any of the past four years, for that matter.

Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Needs to work on his HR “trot,” though. More like a sprint now.

Stanford’s only had one error through 2.6 innings? And that error was Piscotty’s throw earlier tonight? That’s surprising, I must admit.

Stanford’s up 9-2 now. Much more comfortable lead than was there in the fourth inning.

It may be the most home runs they’ve had in a single game in the past two years, in fact.

All is forgiven. And with that, I think I’m headed to bed.

Hidden right behind the pole.

Stanford leading 12-2 in the top of the eighth. Game could be called if the field gets any wetter since we’re beyond the fifth now.

RBI triple in the top of the ninth gives Stanford a 13-2 lead.

Stanford, in its first ever meeting against Illinois, defeats the Illini 14-2 to win the Regional. Stanford will play North Carolina next weekend in Chapel Hill at a TBD time.