MALIBU, Calif. — Thomas Ferroggiaro collected a career-high four RBIs and tied a career high with three hits Saturday, and the Santa Clara University baseball team led early for the third consecutive game, but host Pepperdine rallied once again to clinch a West Coast Conference series victory, thanks to a 13-8 win at Eddy D. Field Stadium.
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HOW IT HAPPENED
- Ferroggiaro put the Broncos (12-15, 1-4 WCC) ahead, 1-0, in the third with an RBI double. He followed that up with another RBI double in the fifth, and knocked in two more runs with a two-RBI single in the sixth. He finished the day 3 for 6 with a career-best four RBIs and two doubles while batting from the Broncos' leadoff spot.
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- Pepperdine (8-22, 4-4 WCC) tied the game at 1-1 with an unearned run in the third, then took the lead for good with a four-run fourth. Four of the Waves' first five batters in the fourth reached safely, with all four of them eventually scoring.
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- Santa Clara got close again in the sixth, making it a one-run game at 7-6 thanks in part to Ferroggiaro's two-run hit. But Pepperdine answered right back with two runs in the bottom half on Joey Damelio's two-run home run from the ninth spot in the order.
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- Payton Lambert singled home a run in the seventh to pull the Broncos back within two at 9-7, and Conner Smith hit his first career home run for the Broncos in the top of the ninth to give them eight runs. But the Waves had already put the game mostly to bed after tacking on another four runs in the bottom of the eighth, this time with five hits and a walk, to go up, 13-7, at the time.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
- 3: Three different Broncos logged multi-hit games Saturday, led by Ferroggiaro's three-hit performance. Ben Cleary and Kai Cunningham both went 2 for 4.
- 13: The Broncos' 13 hits Saturday marked their 10th double-digit hit game of the season and fifth in their last seven. They are 7-3 in those games.
COMING UP
- Sunday's finale is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch. Fans can find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.
