Santa Clara University

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The Santa Clara University baseball team continued to hold tight to its own destiny Friday, winning for the seventh time in a row, clinching a fourth consecutive West Coast Conference series victory and inching even closer to a WCC Tournament berth with a 9-2 win over Pepperdine at Stephen Schott Stadium.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Broncos' offense has been relentless during the team's seven-game winning streak. Friday was another night with first-inning runs (seventh in a row), another night with double-digit hits (ninth in a row), and another win by six or more runs — the sixth during the streak. Santa Clara's bats rapped out 13 hits for the second night in a row and scored nine runs after scoring 10 on Thursday.
   
• The big wins haven't been coming with only the offense, though. Santa Clara (24-28, 12-14 WCC) got another quality start on the mound from Jace Gillmore (4-4), his second in a row and fourth in his last five starts. Gillmore threw seven innings, matching his career- and season-long outing while only allowing two runs and striking out two. Jack Lazark followed with two shutout innings of relief. The junior righty has only allowed one earned run in his last five appearances (8 1/3 innings).
   
• Santa Clara scored in every inning from the first through the fourth, then tacked on an insurance run in the sixth. The Broncos pounded out eight extra-base hits (six doubles, two home runs) and notched five of their runs with two outs. A two-out RBI single in the first put SCU ahead, 1-0, and a two-out, two-run double by Ben Cleary in the second made it 4-0 after Camden Sos had already doubled home a run earlier in the frame. Another two-out RBI double from Sos in the third made it back-to-back three-run innings for the Broncos and gave them a 7-1 lead.
   
• Johnny Luetzow led off the third inning with a solo home run, and Cleary did the same thing in the fourth, hitting the first pitch he saw over the left-center field wall. Payton Lambert put a bow on the Broncos' two-out offense for the night with a two-out RBI double in the second, making it 9-2. The numbers could've been even bigger. Five of the seven runners Santa Clara left on base were left in scoring position, with the team "only" going 5 for 13 (.385) in that scenario.
   
• Pepperdine (21-31, 15-11 WCC) had its chances Friday. The Waves left three runners of their own in scoring position, going just 1 for 6 (.167) with them there and 1 for 11 (.091) with runners on anywhere. The Waves also grounded into two double plays, one to end the fifth after they got a one-out single, and one in the top of the second after they had gotten a leadoff single only trailing 1-0.
   
• Cleary put up his seventh consecutive multi-hit game and 19th of the year, going 2 for 5 with a home run, double, three RBIs and a run scored. He's batting .548 during the Broncos' seven-game winning streak and raised his season average to .365. Lambert went 3 for 4 with two doubles, two RBIs and two runs scored, and Devine went 3 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Sos finished 2 for 3 with two doubles, two RBIs and a run.
   
• Joshua Woodworth (2 for 4) and James Dell'Amico (2 for 4) both had multi-hit games for Pepperdine. Daniel Patterson and Julian Nunez both hit doubles. Jack Fowler (2-6) suffered the loss for the Waves after allowing seven runs (four earned) on seven hits in only 2 2/3 innings pitched. Santa Clara also tagged Austin Plisinski for two runs on four hits in three innings of work.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 1: Santa Clara only needs one more win on Saturday to clinch a spot in the 2026 WCC Tournament. Beating Pepperdine Saturday will clinch the Broncos' third trip to the conference tournament in four years.
• 7: The Broncos have scored at least one run in the first inning in seven straight games (all games of its current win streak). The team has won nine consecutive games when its scored in the first inning, dating to April 25 versus Portland.
• 7: The team's seven-game winning streak is its longest since winning eight in a row from May 14-27, 2023, a run that included the Broncos' sweep through the 2023 WCC Tournament to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
• 112: Santa Clara's six doubles Friday gave it 112 for the season – its most as a team in 16 years, since hitting 144 doubles in 2010.

COMING UP

• The Broncos will conclude the series and the regular season Saturday with Senior Day at Stephen Schott Stadium. 12 Broncos will be honored in a pregame ceremony scheduled to begin at 12:20 p.m. Fans can purchase tickets and find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.