SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Santa Clara University baseball team came from behind on Sunday and later had the tying or go-ahead runs on base in three different innings, but visiting San Francisco was able to hold off the Broncos to earn a West Coast Conference series victory, winning the finale, 5-3, at Stephen Schott Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Dylan Joyce hit a towering, go-ahead, three-run home run in the fourth inning that put Santa Clara (9-11, 1-2 WCC) ahead, 3-2, after San Francisco (12-12, 2-1 WCC) had scratched across single runs in the third and fourth innings. The Broncos took advantage of two free passes (hit-by-pitch and a walk) to start the inning, and Joyce made the Dons pay. It was Joyce's fourth home run of the season, doubling his entire 2024 season total with still a week left in March.
   
• USF answered right back in the top of the fifth, however, with back-to-back one-out doubles from T.J. Rogers and Patrick Keighran that tied it at 3-3. Keighran would later put the Dons ahead, 4-3, thanks to two wild pitches.
   
• Santa Clara pushed to get that tying run across in multiple subsequent turns at bat, but couldn't get the final key hit to score it. The Broncos had runners on the corners with one out in the fifth, but a double play ended the threat and the inning. They loaded the bases in the sixth and had the tying run in scoring position with less than two outs, but left them loaded on a groundout back to the pitcher.
   
• San Francisco added an insurance run in the seventh to make it 5-3, but again Santa Clara rallied in the bottom half by putting the tying runs on base. Joyce stepped to the plate again with a chance to repeat his fourth-inning heroics. He hit a deep fly ball to the left-center field corner, but it fell short of the warning track and was caught to end the inning.
   
• Luke Devine led off the bottom of the ninth with a double, looking to spark another comeback for the Broncos. But San Francisco's Quentin Pohorski earned his fourth save of the year by retiring the next three batters, part of a three-inning outing in which he only allowed the one hit to Devine, walked none and struck out two.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 3: Koen Carston logged his third consecutive multi-hit game Sunday and third of the week, going 2 for 3 with a double. He hit .667 for the week with a double and two RBIs.
• 12 2/3: Henry Stewart extended his scoreless inning streak Sunday to 12 2/3 innings with 2 1/3 innings of shutout work. He only allowed one hit and struck out two.

COMING UP

• Santa Clara hosts UC San Diego for a four-game non-conference series starting Thursday. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links at SantaClaraBroncos.com.