SAN FRANCISCO — The bats finally came out on Sunday, with the Santa Clara University baseball team and San Francisco combining for 11 runs on 18 hits – eight for extra bases – but it was the Dons who'd once again escape by a narrow margin, completing a three-game West Coast Conference sweep with its third consecutive one-run victory, 6-5, at Benedetti Diamond.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Santa Clara (9-13, 0-3 WCC) took its first lead of the series on an RBI double from Will Anderson in the second inning to go up, 1-0. The Dons (12-10, 3-0 WCC) would answer right back with three singles and a bases-loaded walk in the bottom half to knot it at one. That's when pitching took back over, as it had all series. Santa Clara reliever RJ Meyn (1-2) only faced one over the minimum into the fifth inning, and San Francisco starter Adrian Valdez (2-2) didn't allow a runner past first base after Anderson's double.
   
• Both teams put up crooked numbers in consecutive half-innings. San Francisco scored a decisive five runs in the bottom of the fifth thanks to five consecutive base hits – four of them for extra bases. The entire rally was started with two outs and no one on base. TJ Rogers doubled and Trevor Harmon singled to put runners on the corners. Jackson Nystrom doubled home Rogers to give USF the lead for good, and Matteo Bellisimo knocked home two more with a double, making it 4-1. Zack Ramppen capped the rally with a two-run homer to put the Dons up, 6-1.
   
• Santa Clara hit back-to-back home runs for the first time this season in the sixth, and it hit them on consecutive pitches. Max Ross slammed the first pitch he saw over the home run line on the right field netting for a two-run shot after Ben Cleary had drawn a leadoff walk. Tate Medicoff then went opposite field to the right-center field gap on the very next pitch, making it 6-4. Mateo Garcia later doubled home Anderson to pull the Broncos within one at 6-5.
   
• A trio of San Francisco relievers took it the rest of the way. Kai Yovanovich, Chris Byhre and Nick Bacura threw a shutout inning each, with all three of them combining to retire the final seven batters of the game in order. Bacura earned his sixth save of the year with a 1-2-3 ninth, and Byhre struck out the side in the eighth.
   
• Medicoff (2 for 3) and Anderson (2 for 4) both had multi-hit games for Santa Clara. Nick Chow, Josh Johnson and Hunter Harggett combined to throw 3 1/3 innings of shutout relief. Chow matched his season-long relief outing with 2 1/3 innings of work and two strikeouts. Johnson made his second appearance on the weekend and got the first two outs of the eighth, and Hargett retired the only batter he faced to end the eighth.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 1: Santa Clara is 1-6 this season in one-run games. All six of its one-run defeats have come on the road.
• 21: Ben Cleary went 1 for 4 with a single and a walk Sunday, extending his active reached base streak to 21 games – 20 in 2026 and the last game of 2025.

COMING UP

• Santa Clara returns home Tuesday to begin a five-game home stand, starting with its second meeting of the year versus San Jose State. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.