SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Santa Clara University baseball team followed a near-identical recipe Saturday to engineer another win over visiting Portland, combining shutdown pitching and a go-ahead home run from Max Ross to beat the Pilots, 3-1, and clinch a West Coast Conference series victory at Stephen Schott Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Jace Gillmore (2-4) turned in the longest outing by any Bronco this season — and the longest of his career — tossing seven innings of one-hit, one-run ball. The junior righty struck out six, one short of his season and career high, and surrendered only an infield single in the fourth. Trey Swygart's ground ball into the gap between first and second also brought in Portland's only run, scoring Bean Brady from third after Brady had led off the inning with a walk.
   
• Gillmore threw 24 pitches in the fourth alone, walking two before allowing Swygart's two-out base hit. But that was the only time the outing showed any turbulence. Gillmore was perfect through the first three innings, retiring nine straight, and after the fourth-inning hiccup he locked back in and retired 10 consecutive batters, including four strikeouts.
   
• Gillmore handed the ball to Cooper Lanz, who threw two perfect innings to close out the game for his second save of the season. Lanz struck out three — including the final two batters — to seal the win in style. Combined, Gillmore and Lanz retired 16 straight batters from the fourth inning through the ninth, racking up seven strikeouts along the way.
   
• Ross put the Broncos (16-25, 5-12 WCC) in front early in the first with a two-run shot over the right field wall, his third home run of the year, after a one-out single from Ben Cleary had set the table. It was one day after Ross' bases-clearing double in the seventh had put Santa Clara ahead for good on Friday. The Broncos added an insurance run in the second with some small ball, as a leadoff single and a hit-by-pitch put two runners on with nobody out. Mateo Garcia and Kai Cunningham then laid down successive sacrifice bunts, with Cunningham's bringing home Will Anderson to make it 3-0.
   
• Santa Clara outhit Portland 6-1, with Anderson going 3 for 3 to lead all batters. Trey Newmann (2-5) took the loss for the Pilots, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks in 5 1/3 innings.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 1: Saturday's one-hitter was the first for the Broncos in more than five years, dating back to a 13-0 win over Stanford at Schott Stadium on Feb. 28, 2021.
• 3: Anderson's three hits were the third time he's logged at least three knocks in a game this season, putting him in a tie for third on the team in three-hit performances. Ben Cleary leads the way with five, followed by Ross with four.

COMING UP

• The series finale is scheduled for noon Sunday. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.