April 18, 2006
SANTA CLARA, Calif. - The Santa Clara University baseball team will take a small respite from its WCC schedule Tuesday evening as it welcomes the San Francisco State Gators to Stephen Schott Stadium. First pitch for the non-conference tournament is set for 6 p.m.
Tickets are available by calling (408) 554-4660 or by visiting the Leavey Center ticket office.
The Broncos (20-17, 3-6 WCC) are coming off of three-straight losses and will be looking get some momentum going against the Gators (16-20-1, 6-15-1 CCAA) before heading south to Los Angeles for a WCC series against Loyola Marymount.
Eric Newton hit his tenth home run of the season Thursday night against Pepperdine, continuing his run amongst the conference leaders in that category. Matt Long's .353 batting average is also among the WCC leaders while Jason Matteucci ripped his first triple of the season last Thursday as well.
Donald Brandt will get the start for Santa Clara, holding a 2-1 record and 3.75 ERA. Brandt has also been a contributor on the offensive side of things as he slapped a pair of hits over the weekend in the designated hitter role.
The Gators, members of the California Collegiate Athletic Association, are coming off of a sweep Monday over Patten. San Francisco State is led offensively by Jason Dean (.393, 11 doubles, 11 RBIs) and Casey Garrison (.364, nine doubles, three homers, 25 RBIs) while Takane Suzuki (3-2, 2.79 ERA) is the leader on the hill.
Today's contest is the last of the current four-game homestand, as the Broncos will return home the weekend of April 28-30 to host the Saint Mary's Gaels for a three-game series.