Stayin' alive

STANFORD - The Aggies and Cardinal are fighting for their lives in an elimination game at Sunken Diamond. Stanford is ahead 3-2 heading into the top of the fifth.

UCD pitcher Bryan Evans is laboring, but he escapes a two-on, two-out situation in the top of the inning, inducing Stanford's dangerous catcher Jason Castro to fly out to center to end the inning.

The Aggies had Stanford pitcher Jeffrey Inman on the ropes in the first inning, loading the bases with no outs. The Aggies settle for a single run and Inman seems to have settled down in the third and fourth.

Stanford's second run scored when UCD left fielder Kevin James loses Randy Molina's fly ball in the sun. Castro scored on the play and Molina wound up at second for a double.

Evans is at 91 pitches, so it will be interesting how much longer he can go.

UPDATE at 2:51 p.m. The Aggies tie the game 3-3 in the bottom of the fifth on Ryan Scoma's two-out, RBI single to right. Ryan Royster reaches on a bunt single to lead off the inning and scores from second on the single.

UPDATE at 3:03 p.m. UCD reliever Andy Suiter replaces Evans with a runner at third and one out and keeps the game tied. Jake Schlander strikes out and Cord Phelps grounds out. Evans finishes with 113 pitches in 5 1/3 innings.

UPDATE AT 3:21 p.m. Suiter works out a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh as Brandon Domarack pops up to third baseman Ty Kelly to end the inning.

UPDATE AT 3:34. Jake Jefferies, who has struggled for much of the regional, singles against Inman with one out to tie Dave Nix for the single-season school record in hits with 95. Kelly had reached on an error prior to the hit. But Inman retires Scoma to end the inning. Marco Grifantini replaces Suiter in the top of the eighth.

UPDATE AT 3:47 p.m. The Aggies summon closer Justin Fitzgerald to pitch with one on and out out in the eighth. Fitzgerald allows a single to Cord Phelps to put runners at first and third, but Joey August grounds into an inning-ending double play.

UPDATE at 4:04 p.m. The Aggies have the lead! Matt Dempsey's sacrifice fly to left scores Evan Hudson to make it 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth. UCD uses a hit-and-run single from Grant Hirnese to set up Dempsey's RBI.

UPDATE at 4:11 The lead is gone! Castro reaches on Hudson's fielding error and Brent Milleville unloads on a 1-and-0 fastball from Fitzgerald over the left-field fence. The Stanford bench is going nuts! Molina follows with a double and Trevor Fox replaces Fitzgerald, who entered the game with 15 saves. Fox strikes out Sean Ratliff but walks pinch-hitter Toby Gerhart, and Jeremy McChesney is the new UCD pitcher.

UPDATE at 4:28: Stanford continues to pile it on. The Cardinal up the lead to 7-4 with consecutive RBI singles from Zach Jones and Schlander against McChesney. Colin McCusker is UCD's seventh pitcher.

UPDATE at 4:31: Phelps' RBI single scored one more run, but Joey August hits into a double play to end the inning. Stanford leads 8-4 heading to the bottom of the ninth.

FINAL UPDATE at 4:44: Kelly and Jefferies each single with two outs, but Scoma grounds out to end the game. With the hit, Jefferies is the school's single-season hit leader with 96. Kelly was 8-for-13 in the regional and finishes the season at .397.

STANFORD 8, UC DAVIS 4.

The Cardinal will play Pepperdine at 5:45 p.m.