Game Photos (Credit Don Jedlovec)
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara baseball rallied to overcome a multi-run deficit for the second game in a row as part of a 3-2 victory over Pacific Saturday night at Schott Stadium. The Broncos conceded two first-inning runs and scored three in a row through the end of the fifth to win the ballgame.
Santa Clara has won five contests in a row for the second time in 2015; Saturday night's victory also clinched SCU's first West Coast Conference series win of the season.
The Tigers (4-20, 3-5 WCC) had their second batter of the game open the scoring for the second night in a row when J.J. Wagner hit an RBI groundout to shortstop, which drove in leadoff hitter Tyler Sullivan. Pacific's Louis Mejia singled through the right side with two outs, and Gio Brusa — who started the play at second base — scored from third when Bronco right fielder Grant Meylan threw over the head of starting pitcher Kevin George.
"I remembered that we have the offense to compete and we're going to get some runs," George said. "I just tried to stay calm, get back to my gameplan and attack these hitters."
"Like Steven Wilson last night, Kevin did a great job of handling early adversity tonight, especially after throwing 42 pitches in the first inning," head coach Dan O'Brien said. "His last three innings were his best — that says a lot. He showed some toughness tonight."
George (W, 2-2) allowed two earned runs on four hits with two walks and seven strikeouts in 6.0 innings. He faced two batters above the minimum in the second through sixth innings, and retired 11 straight batters before his departure at the end of the sixth. The sophomore has struck out seven or more batters three times this season.
"We've got Coach Ribas calling a great game, and [catcher Stevie Berman] does a great job getting me strikes," George said. "I just trust that when Stevie puts down the fingers, that's what I'm going to throw."
Grant Meylan singled to lead off the first inning for the Broncos (13-12, 4-4 WCC) and made it to third on a stolen base and throwing error by Pacific catcher Dallas Correa in the same sequence. Meylan came in to score on a 5-3 RBI groundout by Jose Vizcaino, Jr. to pull Santa Clara within a run at 2-1.
Vizcaino, Jr. blasted a scoreboard shot — his team-leading sixth long ball of the season — to put Santa Clara ahead 3-2 in the fifth. He drove in all three Bronco runs while Meylan and Kyle Cortopassi tied for the game high with two hits apiece. Vizcaino, Jr.'s six home runs in 2015 match the team-high from the 2014 season set by Quinton Perry.
"Jose had two great at-bats against a very tough arm tonight," O'Brien said. "We needed someone to step up tonight offensively and Jose rose to the occasion again. That's what makes him special.
Pacific starting pitcher Will Lydon allowed three earned runs on eight hits with no walks in 8.0 innings. Lydon (L, 0-6) struck out a career-high 10 batters in the complete game loss.
After the home run, the teams combined to retire 17 batters in a row through the second out of the top of the eighth. The streak ended when Vizcaino, Jr. fielded a ground ball off the bat of Gio Brusa and threw high to first base, pulling Jake Brodt off the bag for an error on the Bronco shortstop.
Mitchell White struck out one batter and needed only eight pitches in a 1-2-3 seventh and Reece Karalus (SV, 7) struck out five in 2.0 innings to pick up his seventh save of the season. The Tigers had two batters reach safely after the first inning and no batters reach safely through the last six frames — only Brusa reached on the error during that stretch.
"Mitch and Reece complement eachother really well, and make it pretty tough on hitters to get something going late," O'Brien said. "It's not just their ability — they're both talented — but their maturity and competitiveness make them both really tough to beat."
Santa Clara LHP Evan Brisentine (1-1, 3.06 ERA) will start the series finale as the Broncos go for the sweep against Pacific and RHP Michael Benson (2-0, 3.99 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.
GAME NOTES: First pitch was at 5:59 p.m. … time of game was 2:21 … attendance was 326 … five straight Bronco victories matches the longest winning streak with Dan O'Brien as head coach (2012-present).
