SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Starting pitchers Steven Wilson of Santa Clara and David Hill of No. 30 San Diego (Collegiate Baseball) each pitched a quality start and 8.0 innings in a 2-1 Torero victory at Schott Stadium Friday night. Santa Clara opened the scoring in the first and San Diego drove in a pair of runs in a decisive fifth inning as part of the Broncos' WCC home opener.
Wilson (L, 2-2) tossed 8.0 innings for the second time in as many starts and fourth time in his career Friday night to match his longest collegiate start. He allowed two earned runs on seven hits with one walk and three strikeouts in the loss. After the Toreros (12-7, 4-0 WCC) scored two runs in the fifth, Wilson and the Broncos (8-11, 1-3 WCC) combined to retire 10 batters in a row through the end of the eighth; Mitchell White extended the streak to 13 batters with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Hill (W, 4-2), the reigning WCC Rawlings Pitcher of the Week, allowed an earned run on four hits with four walks and seven strikeouts for the Toreros. Anthony McIver (SV, 6) retired all three batters he faced with two strikeouts in the ninth to earn his sixth save of the season.
Santa Clara got on the board in the first inning on a T.J. Braff RBI single with one out to score Stevie Berman. The Broncos put runners on first and third with one out in the third ahead of a strikeout and force out at second to end the inning. Their best chance to score in the last six frames came in the eighth when they had runners on first and third with two outs, and Braff grounded out to shortstop.
In each of the first three innings, the Toreros had their leadoff batter reach before three consecutive outs. San Diego took its 2-1 lead in the fifth on back-to-back RBIs from Bryson Brigman on a squeeze bunt up the first base line and Kyle Holder on a single to left field as part of four straight hits. Neither team posted an extra-base hit — San Diego recorded seven singles and the Broncos recorded four.
Grant Meylan, who went 1-for-3 with a walk, has reached base safely in all 19 games of his college career, and done so multiple times in 17 of those contests. Vizcaino, Jr. went 2-for-4 and Braff hit a single alongside two walks with Santa Clara's only RBI on the night.
San Diego's leadoff hitter Austin Bailey and No. 9 batter Jerod Smith each produced two hits and scored a run.
Santa Clara LHP Kevin George (1-1, 2.88 ERA) and USD LHP PJ Conlon (2-1, 2.28 ERA) are scheduled to start tomorrow's game, which begins at 1 p.m.
GAME NOTES: First pitch was at 6:02 p.m. … time of game was 2:45 … attendance was 412 … Vizcaino, Jr. hit a foul ball that bounced off the main concourse and up into the press box in the bottom of the third.