SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Santa Clara University baseball team may have gotten its groove back.
The Broncos finished off a three-game West Coast Conference sweep of Pepperdine Sunday in a big way, hitting four home runs and scoring their second-most runs of the season in a 13-3 dominant victory at Stephen Schott Stadium.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Ben Steck's third career grand slam and first of 2024 was the biggest of four long balls Santa Clara (18-15, 6-6 WCC) hit. His slam came in the fifth, breaking a 3-3 tie at the time and putting the Broncos up for good. Malcolm Williams hit his third homer of the year, a solo shot in the seventh, and Michael O'Hara and Coleman Brigman went back-to-back in the eighth to put the Broncos' ahead by 10.
- Santa Clara's top four hitters in the lineup went a combined 8-for-18 (.444) with three home runs and nine RBIs. That included multi-hit performances from O'Hara, Brigman and Steck. Ben Cleary also had a multi-hit day from the nine-hole in the order, going 2 for 3 with an RBI and three runs scored. The Broncos totaled 12 hits Sunday, their third consecutive double-digit hits day. It was their eighth game of the season with double-digit runs and double-digit hits in the same game, and first since March 12 versus Columbia.
- Believe it or not, Sunday's win was yet another come-from-behind triumph for Santa Clara, its second in a row and third in its last seven wins. Pepperdine (12-24, 6-6 WCC) went ahead 1-0 in the second inning on an RBI single from Luke Pemberton, but that was the only time the Waves would hold a lead.
- The Broncos struck back in the bottom of the second, scoring three runs with no base hits. Each of the first four Broncos hitters reached safely on three free passes (two walks, one hit-by-pitch) and an error. The hit-by-pitch to Johnny Luetzow tied the game at 1-1, and back-to-back RBI groundouts by Dylan Joyce and Cleary put Santa Clara up, 3-1.
- Pepperdine didn't go quietly, fighting back in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 3-3. Consecutive lead-off hits by Justin Rubin and Brady Renck put runners on the corners and set the table. Connor Bradshaw drove in a run on an RBI groundout, and Julian Nunez tied the game with a sacrifice fly.
- But Waves starter Matthew Boyer couldn't hold on to the tie score in the bottom half. Santa Clara led off the inning with three consecutive singles before Steck's one-out grand slam, and the Broncos pulled away from there.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 7: Sunday's win was the Broncos' seventh consecutive over Pepperdine. That streak includes two three-game sweeps in the past two seasons. It's Santa Clara's longest winning streak over the Waves in at least 48 years (since 1977).
- 8: O'Hara extended his active hitting streak to eight games with three hits Sunday. It was his third consecutive multi-hit game and fifth in the streak. He's hitting .429 (15 for 35) with a home run, three doubles, four RBIs and five runs scored during the streak.
- 9: Santa Clara had nine at-bats with runners in scoring position Sunday, getting hits in four of them (.444 average). The Broncos hit .447 (17 for 38) with runners in scoring position over the three-game series versus the Waves.
NEXT UP
- The Broncos hit the road next week for three games in Southern California. First is a stop in San Luis Obispo on Tuesday for a game at Cal Poly. They then head further south for a doubleheader against two different opponents on Saturday in Irvine, Calif. The Broncos will face Sacramento State in a neutral site game at 1 p.m., then take on host Southern California in the nightcap at 6:30 p.m.
- Fans can find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.
