STANFORD, Calif. - The Santa Clara baseball team fell to 7-10 on the season with a midweek loss to No. 12 Stanford, 9-1, on Tuesday afternoon at Sunken Diamond.  The Cardinal improved to 8-5 on the year with the win.

The Broncos struggled at the plate, registering just three hits, one against winning pitcher Dean McArdle (3-0) and two against his reliever, A.J. Vanegas.  Stanford notched double-digit hits (16) led by first baseman Brian Ragira's 5-for-5 appearance at the plate in which he hit for the cycle, batting in three runs and crossing the plate three times himself.

After a scoreless first inning, the Cardinal jumped out to a 6-0 lead at the end of three innings after a five-run second inning with an extra tally in the third.  Santa Clara starting pitcher Cory Hall (2-3) was chased from the mound after just 1.2 innings pitched in which he gave up five runs on four hits and struck out four batters.

Bronco head coach Mark O'Brien ended up utilizing all three pitchers from his starting rotation in the loss, giving them all a chance to work after this weekend's weather caused Santa Clara to cancel its entire series against Minnesota.  However, the pitching staff couldn't foil the Cardinal offense as the three starters combined for 12 hits and nine runs against.

The Broncos received hits from junior Andrew Biancardi, senior Curtis Wagner, and freshman Zach Looney.  Biancardi doubled.  Sophomore Matt Ozanne picked up the RBI on a sacrifice fly to score freshman Kyle DeMerritt in the top of the sixth inning.

Juniors Joe Supple and J.R. Graham also made relief appearances in the game.  Supple went 2.1 innings, the longest outing of any Bronco pitcher in the game, and gave up no runs on three hits with one strikeout.  Graham went 2.0 innings with one strikeout and no hits.

Santa Clara returns home to Schott Stadium this weekend to take on Brown in a four-game series beginning Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.with a doubleheader against the Bears.