The Stanford Cardinal cruised to a 14-2 victory over the Illinois Fightin Illini Sunday evening and now find themselves in the super regional round of the 2011 NCAA baseball tournament. The Cardinal entered their region as the number two seed but cruised to a 3-0 record that was helped by Illinois knocking host Cal State Fullerton in the loser's bracket. The Cardinal will now face number one seed North Carolina. The Tar Heels are also the third overall seed in the entire tournament.
The Cardinal took control from the get-go as they put up a run in the first and four more in the third inning. Illinois grabbed a run in the third and another in the fourth but Stanford put down their foot and killed any momentum Illinois might have had. After scoring a run in the fifth inning, Stanford added two more on a Ben Clowe home run in the sixth inning, and then four more in the seventh inning. Two more in the ninth were merely icing on the cake.
Stanford will likely be playing at North Carolina beginning June 10. The winner will advance to the eight-team field in the College World Series.