LOS ANGELES — Santa Clara baseball lost the last of a three-game set to LMU in its WCC opening series 5-2 Sunday afternoon at Page Stadium. The Broncos took a 2-1 lead in the third on Jose Vizcaino, Jr.'s second home run of the series before the Lions plated four runs in the fourth — the weekend's biggest scoring frame — to take the three-run lead they held the rest of the way.
Santa Clara starting pitcher Peter Hendron (L, 1-1) allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits with one walk and one strikeout in 3.0+ innings. David Edwards opened the scoring for the Lions (11-8, 2-1 WCC) with a solo home run to right-center field in the first inning. Each team scored in two of the series' three first innings and combined for six runs.
The Broncos (8-10, 1-2 WCC) scored their only runs of the game on Vizcaino's two-run shot to left center in the third against LMU's Tylor Megill (W, 4-1). The Lion starter allowed two earned runs on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 7.0 innings. J.D. Busfield (SV, 6) picked up his conference-leading sixth save of the season by pitching a scoreless ninth.
In the fourth, two LMU batters reached against Hendron and Santa Clara called on Evan Brisentine out of the bullpen with a 2-1 count against Lion DH Jamey Smart. Brisentine retired Smart on a pop out to shortstop, then hit Ted Boeke with a pitch to load the bases. The Lions tied the game at two on pinch hitter Joe Christian's ground ball to third, which Evan Haberle fielded for Santa Clara and threw home, but could not retire Tanner Donnels on a close play at the plate. The Lions capped off their four-run third with a two-run single by Austin Miller and RBI single from David Fletcher in back-to-back at-bats.
Santa Clara recorded six of its eight hits with two outs Sunday afternoon. Trailing by three runs, they put runners in scoring position in the fifth, seventh and ninth innings. With two outs and runners on first in second in the ninth, pinch hitter Ryan Budnick stepped to the plate as the potential game-tying run, and struck out against Busfield to end the game.
Brisentine held the Lions scoreless in the fifth through seventh innings, finishing with a line of 4.0 innings pitched and allowing two earned runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout. Santa Clara's Jake Brodt led all batters with three hits while Grant Meylan and Austin Fisher each got aboard safely twice.
The Broncos return to Schott Stadium for a three-game series with the WCC's San Diego Toreros beginning Friday, March 20 with a 6 p.m. first pitch. Saturday and Sunday's games will begin at 1 p.m.
GAME NOTES: First pitch was at 1:02 p.m. … time of game was 2:50 … attendance was 341.
