May 12, 2001
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - The Santa Clara University baseball team remained in contention for the West Coast Conference Coast Division championship with a 6-4 win at San Francisco on Saturday at Benedetti Diamond.
Santa Clara rallied for a pair of unearned runs in the top of the ninth, while freshman third baseman Kellan McConnell snared a line drive rocket off the bat of USF's Taggert Bozied with one aboard and two outs to seal the game for the Broncos.
USF (27-26, 13-16 WCC) was victimized by a pair of costly errors in the ninth inning, while Santa Clara (23-32, 17-12 WCC) got solid defensive play during the contest. Senior catcher Norm Hayes drove in the game-winner with a RBI single to break a 4-4 tie in the top of the ninth.
Freshman right-hander Chad Fillinger (6-1) earned the win for the Broncos after coming in relief of starter John Redmond. Fillinger allowed two runs off four hits and recorded a pair of strikeouts in 2.0 innings. Redmond was solid through 7.0 innings of work, allowing just two runs off six hits and added four strikeouts.
Junior right-hander Peter Dunkle (4-4) came on in relief and suffered the loss for USF after allowing three runs (one earned) off seven hits in 3.2 innings. Junior left-hander Jeremy Kinney struck out the only batter he faced in the ninth.
Santa Clara struck first in the third with a run, matched by the Dons in the bottom half with an RBI from Soares, scoring Howard, who doubled to start things off for USF. The Broncos would add a pair of runs in the fifth and an additional run in the seventh to take a 4-1 lead.
Senior first baseman Matt Queen had a stellar day at the plate with a 4-for-5, 2 doubles, 2 RBI performance for the Broncos and helped Santa Clara stay in the hunt of the divisional title. Loyola Marymount won its second-straight contest at Gonzaga on Saturday, putting the Broncos in a tie for first-place in the division with the Bulldogs. A Gonzaga loss and Santa Clara win on Sunday would give the Broncos the title and a chance to play Pepperdine for the league championshp and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.
USF hosts Santa Clara in the final game of the 2001 regular season on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM at Benedetti Diamond, preceded by senior day festivities at 12:45 PM.