SANTA CLARA, Calif. – In the final midweek game of the season, Santa Clara baseball beat Stanford by a final score of 3-0 behind a strong performance from Tommy Nance. The Broncos are now 13-37 overall and have won three games in a row for the first time this season. The Cardinal are 26-21.
The Broncos return to the field on Fri., May 17 at 3 p.m. at LMU.
Nance (3-4, 3.72) started for Santa Clara and threw a complete game shutout. Nance allowed six hits with one walk and six strikeouts. The offense was led by Zach Looney who was 2-4 and T.J. Braff who was 2-4 with a run scored. Casey Munoz added a RBI and a run scored while C.J. Jacobe and Drew Ozanne added one RBI each.
Bobby Zarubin (3-3, 2.29) started for Stanford and got a loss in 4.0 innings. Zarubin allowed two runs on four hits with three walks and two strikeouts. The offense was led by Justin Ringo who was 2-4. Brian Ragira was 1-2 with a walk.
With two down in the top of the third Munoz worked a walk to keep the inning alive for the red-hot Jacobe. Jacobe continued his torrid hitting with a RBI double to left center field that put the Broncos on top 1-0. It was all Nance would need.
The Broncos added a run to their lead in the top of the fourth. Braff and Jose Vizcaino, Jr. led off the frame with back-to-back singles to put runners on the corners with no one out. D. Ozanne came through with a sacrifice fly to right.
Stanford didn't have two runners reach base in the same inning until the eighth and both were infield hits. With one down Wayne Taylor singled back to Nance and after the second out was recorded, Ringo singled to short. Nance got out of the inning with a fly ball to left.
Santa Clara put together another two-out rally in the top of the ninth to add an insurance run. Kyle DeMerritt doubled and Justin Viele reached on an error to put runners on the corners. After Viele stole second, Looney was walked to load the bases. Munoz followed with another walk to force in the third run of the game.
Ragira walked to start the bottom of the ninth but Nance promptly got a 6-4-3 double play to erase the base runner. Danny Diekroeger grounded out to second to end the game and give the Broncos the 3-0 win.