SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The bats came alive for Santa Clara softball cranking out 22 hits in the doubleheader sweep of San Diego on Friday at the SCU Softball Stadium. Rebecca Rubio went 3-for-3 and Taryn Clements drove in three runs in the Broncos 9-1 run-rule victory in the series opener. And in game two, they scored eight unanswered runs to erase a five-run deficit to win 8-5. Eight of the hits went for extra-bases including three home runs in the two games. The pair of victories secured the third straight West Coast Conference series win this season and their eighth straight going back to last season.
Game 1: Santa Clara 9 - San Diego 1 (5)
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Santa Clara (20-19, 5-2 WCC) did all their damage in the second and third innings scoring all nine runs after giving up the opening run to San Diego (16-21, 3-4 WCC). SCU got nine of the 10 hits in those two innings.
- Trailing 1-0 in the home half of the second, Taryn Clements cranked a two-run home run, her second of the season, as the Broncos never looked back. They added a third run of the inning on Cairah Curran's RBI single.
- In the following inning, four of the six hits were doubles. Rubio got things started with a leadoff two-bagger and later scored on the frontend of a double steal to make it 4-1. Three consecutive doubles by Clements, Robynn Balmediano and Leiora Davidson put three more runs on the board. Rubio came around to bat for the second time in the frame and delivered a two-run RBI to push the lead out to 9-1.
- Ellison Schroeder went the distance giving up one run on two hits over five innings as she improved to 9-6 on the year to move to a tie atop the team-lead in wins alongside Cari Ferguson. The only hits she allowed were to Michelle Delgado and Carly Ruiz.
Game 2: Santa Clara 8 - San Diego 5
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Santa Clara (21-19, 6-2 WCC) fell behind 5-0 but scored the final eight runs to take the second game of the twinbill while Avery Seva tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief.
- The comeback effort included a stretch of eight hits in nine at-bats. A two-run home run by Davidson and an RBI triple by Elle Merlino closed the gap to 5-3 in the fourth. Then Hazyl Gray hit a towering homer to dead center that tied the game up at 5-all in the fifth to knockout USD starter Kaitlyn Bartlow. Charlie Johnson came in relief and SCU loaded the bases with no out but Johnson was able to escape the jam to keep the game level.
- For both Davidson and Gray, it was their their long ball of the year.
- In the sixth, the Broncos put runners at the corners and Marie Martorella delivered the go-ahead run with a sharp single to left against C. Johnson. Balmediano added a couple of insurance runs to push the lead out to three runs at 8-5.
- San Diego (16-22, 3-5 WCC) battered Broncos starter Cari Ferguson driving in five runs on six hits. Kaylee Oh and Abrielle Diaz had RBI hits in the third and Shawnese Hogue-Lacy made it 5-0 with a two-run double in the fourth. But the Toreros bats were quieted by Seva who allowed only two base runners in her outing as she got her second win of the year.
- C. Johnson took the loss, just as she did in the first game, to drop to 7-10.
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