Box Score STOCKTON, Calif. – Pacific starter Shelby Lackey retired 15 of the last 16 Broncos he faced striking out 13 over eight innings in the 7-3 Tigers win on Friday's series opener.
Santa Clara (20-23, 6-13 WCC) led 3-1 through four and a half innings, scoring two in the third inning on RBIs by
Grant Meylan grounder and
Jason Dicochea (1-for-4, RBI) single.
John Cresto's (1-for-4, R, RBI) solo home run off Lackey in the fourth put the Broncos up 3-1.
However, the Bronco bats went cold after Cresto's homer, getting just one base runner the rest of the game against Lackey and reliever Ryan Shreve. Meylan was the lone base runner who reached base getting hit by a pitch in the eighth.
Meanwhile, Bronco starter
Steven Wilson allowed eight runners to reach base in the first four frames, but the right-hander allowed just one to cross the plate when Kevin Sandri singled home Carter Hayes in the second.
In the bottom of the fourth, Wilson loaded the bases but got out of the jam stranding three runners on base.
Wilson faced the same predicament in the fifth loading the bases on a double and two walks. This time, the sixth-year senior could not escape the inning unscathed when the Tigers scored two runs on an error and a sacrifice fly by Carter Hayes to tie the game up 3-3.
Pacific (19-25, 9-13 WCC) took the lead in the sixth against Bronco reliever
Freddie Erlandson scoring two runs. Matthew Tarantino and Alex LeForestier singled and got to scoring position advancing on a deep fly ball to center by James Free. The cleanup hitter Lucas Halstead singled home both runners to put the Tigers up for good, 5-3.
The Tigers tacked on two more runs in the seventh against Erlandson to go up 7-3.
Erlandson (3-4) took the loss for the Broncos with Lackey (5-3) earning the win.
The Broncos will send right-hander
Travis Howard (1-1, 5.32 ERA) to the mound on Saturday. The Tigers will go with southpaw Ricky Reynoso (4-2, 3.78 ERA).
