PHOENIX — Friday's late-game offensive surge carried into Saturday for the Santa Clara University baseball team, as the Broncos put up 17 base hits, nine for extra bases, and scored 13 runs. But like Friday's season opener, host Arizona State scored in bunches early, then held on late for the victory, this time a 14-13 triumph to secure the non-conference series win at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.
 
Santa Clara (0-2) hit eight doubles and a home run Saturday. The eight doubles as a team were the Broncos' most in a game for at least 14 years (since 2011). Santa Clara last had nine extra-base hits in a game a year ago when it also had nine (four doubles, five home runs) against Washington on Feb. 19 of last season. The previous occasion before that was more than four years ago, when the Broncos also had nine extra-base hits (two doubles, four triples, three home runs) in an 18-4 win over San Jose State.
 
The Broncos' seventh double of the day was a clutch one. Thomas Ferroggiaro sent an RBI double down the right field line and gave Santa Clara a 12-11 lead in the top of the sixth, completing what was an eight-run, mid-game comeback after falling behind 10-4 in the third.
 
Five Broncos had multi-hit games, led by a 4-for-5 outburst with three RBIs from Efrain Manzo. The senior third baseman hit his first home run of 2024 to lead off the fifth inning and hit an RBI double in the sixth. He also scored three runs. JonJon Berring continued his hot start to the year with another multi-extra-base hit performance. He went 3 for 6 Saturday with two doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored from the leadoff spot a day after hitting two home runs and knocking in four.

T5 | @ASU_Baseball 10, #Broncos 7

Efrain Manzo goes ????????!

It's his first HR of 2024 and makes it a 3-run game#StampedeTogether | #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/GzDsjVxt4b

— Santa Clara Baseball (@SCU_Baseball) February 17, 2024

Jordan Lewis earned his first start of the season and only the second of his career after grabbing a late RBI single on Friday. He shined in the designated hitter spot, going 3 for 4 with two doubles, two runs scored, an RBI, a stolen base and a walk. Dylan Joyce shook off a slow start Friday with a 3-for-5 day at the plate that featured two doubles, three runs scored and an RBI. Coleman Brigman went 2 for 6 and scored a run.
 
Arizona State struck early again on Saturday, this time scoring two runs in the first and hanging an eight on the scoreboard in the third. The rally was boosted in big part by Nu'u Contrades' grand slam in the third that made it 10-4 at the time.
 
Santa Clara rallied back to take the lead in the sixth, and then Arizona busted out the big bats again. Jacob Tobias led off the bottom of the sixth with a home run to tie the game at 12-12, and two batters later, Isaiah Jackson followed a walk with a go-ahead, two-run homer to make it 14-12.
 
The Broncos still kept the fight going despite falling behind again, cutting the deficit to one in the seventh with an RBI single from Manzo. Lewis gave the Broncos the tying run in scoring position in the eighth with a two-out double, but was left stranded.
 
Two more newcomers made their Santa Clara debuts Saturday and shut down the explosive Arizona State offense late in the game to give the Broncos a shot at tying it. College of Southern Nevada transfer Josh Johnson threw 1 2/3 scoreless innings with only one hit allowed, and Sebastian Schreiber out of Hartnell College threw a scoreless eighth.
 
The series finale is scheduled for a noon PST first pitch on Sunday. Fans can find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.