BERKELEY, Calif. — A couple of solid pitching performances and timely hitting Friday led the Santa Clara University baseball team to a series-opening victory on the road at California, as the Broncos beat the Golden Bears, 5-3, to kick off the teams' four-game non-conference series at Stu Gordon Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Insurance runs in the fifth and ninth innings helped Santa Clara (5-3) hold the lead from wire to wire after a three-run first. Broncos starter Brandon Gomez (1-1) gave up two runs of his own in the first, but he settled down in a major way after that. He struck out the side in the second to make his presence known, and would retire 10 in a row following the first.
   
• Gomez was on his way to getting out of the fifth inning with relative ease and giving himself a chance to throw into the sixth for the first time this year, but the SCU defense mishandled a groundball to extend the inning. A walk and two wild pitches later, and California (5-4) tacked on an unearned run to pull within one at 4-3.
   
• Gomez only allowed one earned run in five innings of work, striking out a season-high seven, but after his laborious fifth inning, he had to give way to two-time defending West Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week Max Bayles. Bayles preserved Gomez's win and earned his first save of 2025 with four shutout innings of relief. He also struck out seven and made California strand six runners, three in scoring position. The Golden Bears loaded the bases with one out in the seventh and brought the winning run to the plate with one out in the ninth, but a strikeout and a fielder's choice groundout in both innings stopped Cal's rallies and kept it off the board.
   
• Max Ross gave the Broncos another important late-game RBI on Friday with a two-out RBI single in the top of the ninth. That gave the Broncos a two-run cushion at 5-3 heading to California's final turn at bat. Ross also drove in the eventual game-winning run Tuesday at San Jose State in the top of the eighth.
   
• An eventful first inning Friday set the tone for the rest of the night. Santa Clara jumped on California starter Austin Turkington (1-2) for three runs on three hits, two stolen bases and an error. Malcolm Williams put the Broncos on the board first with an RBI fielder's choice after a hit-and-run had put runners on the corners. Dylan Joyce singled home Williams in the next at-bat after he had stolen second base and moved to third on a throwing error. And Johnny Luetzow doubled home Joyce right after that after Joyce, too, stole second – his second steal of the season.
   
• California wouldn't be outdone, though. Two batters into the bottom of the first and it already got a run back thanks to an RBI double down the left field line by Seth Gwynn. Gwynn later stole third and scored on a Broncos fielding error, making it 3-2.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 14: Another walk, his seventh in eight games, extended Ben Cleary's reached base safely streak to 14 games, dating back to last season.
• 28: Bayles now has 28 strikeouts on the year. He entered the weekend leading the WCC and ranked No. 7 in the nation with 21 Ks.

COMING UP

• The Broncos' six-game road trip concludes Saturday with game two of their four-game series versus California. Games three and four of the series will take place in Santa Clara at Stephen Schott Stadium. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.