Santa Clara Baseball Falls To USD In Conference-Opener

Santa Clara Baseball Falls To USD In Conference-Opener

SAN DIEGO, Calif. - In its first West Coast Conference game of the season, Santa Clara baseball fell to San Diego by a score of 6-5. A five-run seventh cost the Broncos as they fell to 13-5 overall and 0-1 in the WCC. San Diego is now at 19-6 and 1-0 in conference play.

RHP Tommy Nance (3-0; 3.11) made the start for the Broncos and went 6.0 innings while allowing five runs, four earned, on five hits. He struck out three and walked four in the no-decision. LHP Max Deering (2-1; 2.08) picked up the loss by allowing an unearned run in two innings of relief. 1B Andrew Biancardi knocked in two runs and 3B Matt Glomb had one RBI on the day.

The Broncos and Toreros will take the field again tomorrow, Sun., Mar. 25 at 10 a.m. as Santa Clara looks to even the series.

Santa Clara scored the first run of the game in the second inning. C Peter Summerville led off with a single to left field and Biancardi sacrificed him over to second. Glomb followed with a double to left field to make the score 1-0 Broncos. After 2B Kyle DeMerritt singled to right field, Glomb scored on an error by the right fielder to bring in the second run of the inning. DH Zach Looney hit into a fielder's choice and got caught in a run down to end the inning.

The Broncos struck again in the third as SS Justin Viele singled up the middle to lead off the frame and CF Matt Ozanne laid down a sac bunt to put a runner in scoring position. LF Pat Stover reached on an error that allowed the third Santa Clara run to score. After two and a half innings, the score was 3-0 Santa Clara.

Santa Clara pushed its lead to 5-0 in the top of the fifth. With two outs and Ozanne on second after drawing a one-out walk and advancing on a groundout, Stover was hit by a pitch and Summerville took a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Biancardi came up big with a single up the middle to knock in two runs. Glomb struck out swinging to end the inning.

With the first two retired in the home half of the fifth, C Dillon Haupt doubled to right center and advanced to third on a wild pitch to the next batter, LF Dillon Checkal. Checkal singled to left field to put San Diego on the board and make the score 5-1.

In the bottom of the seventh inning San Diego exploded for five runs on four hits. 2B Austin Bailey walked and 1B Bryan Haar singled to left on a 3-2 pitch to put the first two runners on. RF A.J. Robinson laid down a sacrifice bunt but an error by DeMerritt at second allowed the runners to reach and Bailey to score. Haupt singled to left field to load the bases and knock Nance out of the game. The first batter Deering faced, pinch-hitter Austin Green, fouled out to first base for the first out of the inning. SS Andrew Daniel singled up the middle to knock in two runs to make it 5-4 Broncos. A balk advanced the runners and DH Corey LeVier singled up the middle to tie the score at five. 3B Kris Bryant broke the tie with a sacrifice fly to left field before CF Louie Lechich struck out looking to end the inning.

The Broncos went quietly in the eighth and ninth innings to end the game and give San Diego the 6-5 win.