SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara baseball took down Pepperdine in the opener of a three-game series 4-3 Friday night at Schott Stadium.

The Broncos (20-16, 9-7 WCC) got on the board right away and never trailed as a pair of pitchers combined to hold the Waves (19-17, 7-9 WCC) to just five hits.

Cole Kitchen (4-2) started and went 6 innings to collect the win. He allowed two runs on four hits with a walk and 10 strikeouts. Nick Sando picked up his fourth save by tossing the final 3 innings. He allowed a run on two hits with a walk and four strikeouts.

Already up 1-0, Coleman Brigman extended the lead with an RBI triple in the third before coming in on a sac fly by Eamonn Lance.

Brigman had a big day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored. Lance was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a double with John Hanley also knocking in a run.

Pepperdine made it interesting in the ninth, scoring a run to cut the deficit to 4-3 and brought the go-ahead run to the plate before Sando shut things down with back-to-back strikeouts.

Nolan Lingley finished with a pair of doubles, two runs scored, and an RBI. Charles Masino and Cole Sheehan both added RBIs as well.

On the mound, Brandon Llewellyn (3-5) took the loss in 5 innings of work. He allowed four runs, three earned, on 10 hits with two strikeouts.

NOTES

• Santa Clara has 14 games with double-figure hits after posting 10.
• Bronco pitching also have 19 games with double-digit strikeouts. They fanned 14.

NEXT UP
Game two is tomorrow at 1 p.m.

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