Stanford ace Mark Appel threw a four-hit shutout with 13 strikeouts as the Cardinal beat the host Utah Utes 6-0 in a Pac-12 baseball game Friday evening.

Utah starter Brock Duke (2-6) took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with six strikeouts over six innings. Josh Chapman pitched the final three innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two strikeouts.

The Utes (14-36, 7-21) left two runners on base in the second inning after Gavin Green singled up the middle with two out, and Jo Jo Sharrar reached on an error before Ethan Leiter struck out to end the inning.

Stanford took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on Eric Smith’s two-run single with the bases loaded.

Utah stranded a pair of runners on base in the sixth inning, after Tyler Relf and Parker Morin had back-to-back singles with two out before Appel (9-1) got a strikeout to end the inning.

The Cardinal continued to pull away with solo runs in the fifth, sixth, seventh and ninth innings. Jake Stewart, Danny Diekroeger and Brian Ragira each had two hits in the game for Stanford.

BYU 7, Santa Clara 3 • In Provo, Jaycob Brugman hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning for what turned out to be the game-winning RBIs in the Cougars’ West Coast Conference victory.

The homer, which gave the Cougars a 5-2 lead, was Brugman’s second in the series. He hit a walk-off grand slam Thursday night.

Kelton Caldwell went 3-for-3 with a home run, and Brock Whitney was 2-for-4 with three RBIs for the Cougars (21-24, 9-11).

BYU starter Marc Oslund (5-1) earned the win, giving up three runs on six hits while recording nine strikeouts over five innings.

Tyler Westensee gave up just one hit in three scoreless innings after relieving Oslund.

Utah Valley 7-11, Northern Colorado 2-6 • In Orem, Jake Rickenbach went 2-for-4 with three RBIs, and Goose Kallunki hit his school-record 17th home run of the season as the Wolverines won the opener 7-2. Jody Hart was 2-for-3 with a home run and four RBIs for UVU (42-12, 27-0 Great Conference) in the nightcap.

Oakland 10-8, Southern Utah 4-7 • In Rochester, Mich., the Thunderbirds got trounced in the opener, then gave up a five-run lead and lost Game 2. Chase Rezac finished the day 4-for-8 with a double and two RBIs to lead the T-Birds (18-33, 12-10 Summit League).

Softball

SLCC 6, Blinn College 1; SLCC 4, Chattanooga State 1 • In St. George, the Bruins won two NJCAA tournament games to advance to the national championship game for the second straight year.

MaCauley Flint recorded six strikeouts over five innings to earn the win against Blinn.

In the semifinal against Chattanooga State, Savannah Webster ripped an RBI double, and Lyndsey Healey had a two-RBI triple.

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Community colleges have traditionally been considered the less prestigious educational path for high school graduates.

They were established in the early 20th century as an alternative to four-year colleges. Their focus was primarily vocational. Their students didn’t have time for strolling the groves of academe. Jobs were of the essence.

Today community colleges can laugh up their sleeves at the four-year institutions that have increasingly adopted the practical, jobs-oriented paradigm that has always been offered at community colleges. “Experiential learning,” a phrase that four-year colleges are fond of using these days, was practically coined at community colleges.

“We’re always getting students ready for the world of work with mock interviews, resume reviews, what to wear to at interviews,” said Petra Wege-Beers, director of the office of careers and counseling at SUNY Orange.

Because community colleges offer certification programs and courses in such specific realms as health care and criminal justice, students concerned about their post-collegiate lives may even have a leg up on four-year college students, with more choices and more time to explore job possibilities in a shrinking job market.

At SUNY Sullivan, roughly 50 percent of the student body is enrolled in technical or vocational programs, according to spokesman Vince Begley.

Networking is also something the community colleges specialize in; Begley uses the example of the college’s culinary program, which has produced a number of regional chefs who offer opportunities for graduates.

Karen Robinson, director of Career Services at SUNY Ulster, said she’s been seeing improvement in the job picture since February.

“We’ve been seeing more job postings, and that’s encouraging,” she said.

But, as with all the employment these days, there’s a caveat: “It’s still an employer’s market.”

jhorrigan@th-record.com