SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara baseball fell to Cal Poly by a final of 10-6 at Schott Stadium on Tuesday night. The Broncos are now 16-23 on the season while the Mustangs move to 17-20.
Santa Clara returns to the field Friday, April 24 vs. Gonzaga at 6 p.m.
Peter Hendron (L, 2-2) started for Santa Clara and picked up a loss in 2.0 innings. Hendron allowed four runs on seven hits with a walk and two strikeouts. Stevie Berman was 3-5 with a home run and three RBI to lead the offense. Braden Frankfort was 3-4 with a double, a triple, a run scored, and an RBI while Grant Meylan was 1-2 with a double, two walks, and two runs scored.
Jarred Zill (W, 2-1) started for Cal Poly and picked up a win in 5.0 innings. Zill allowed four runs on seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Peter Van Gansen was 2-4 with a home run, a walk, two runs scored, and three RBI to lead the offense. Mark Mathias was 2-3 with three walks and four runs scored while Brian Mundell was 1-4 with a walk, a double, a run scored, and two RBI.
Mathias started the game with a flare to center and he moved up to second on a wild pitch. Van Gansen followed with a flare to left to put runners on the corners and Mundell crushed a two-run double to left center. The hit parade continued with a single off the fists by Zack Zehner that again put runners on the corners. Brett Barbier smacked a double over the head of the Bronco center fielder Meylan to bring in two more runs but was thrown out trying to stretch it to a triple. Jordan Ellis singled just inside the third base bag but was thrown out trying to advance on dropped pitch. A strikeout ended the inning with the Mustangs up 4-0.
Jake Brodt started the home half of the second with a triple to right center. T.C. Florentine hit the first pitch he saw down the right field line. Only a diving stop by the Mustang first baseman Schuknecht prevented it from being a hit, but the contact did bring in the first Santa Clara run of the night.
Jason Seever took the mound for Santa Clara to begin the third and got consecutive strikeouts to start the inning. After a walk and hit batter, Schuknecht singled in a run. A beautiful jump-throw from the hole by Jose Vizcaino, Jr. ended the inning with just the one run coming across.
A leadoff double by Meylan came around to score on a two out single to right by Stevie Berman in the home third. The run got Santa Clara back within three after allowing the run in the top of the inning.
The Mustangs got the run back in the top of the fourth with a sac fly to right. Florentine's diving catch in right ended the inning with the Broncos trailing by four runs.
Berman got Santa Clara two runs closer with one swing of the bat in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs, he crushed a homer to left that made it 6-4.
After the first two Mustangs reached in the top of the sixth, a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position. The passed ball was proved meaningless after Van Gansen crushed a ball over the right field wall. With two down and a man on second Josh Inouye came in to pitch and got out of the inning with the score 9-4.
Michael Bono faced two batters in the top of the eighth and walked them both. Nick Medeiros came in to pitch and allowed a run to come in on a wild pitch that gave the Mustangs a 10-4 lead.
Santa Clara struck quickly in the eighth. Florentine led off with a single and came in to score on a triple by Frankfort. Pinch hitter Austin Fisher singled to center to knock in another run.
The Broncos got a two out walks from Kyle Czaplak in the bottom of the ninth but couldn't complete the comeback.
Game Notes: First pitch was at 6:04 … attendance was 276 … time of game was 3:24 … Max Kuhns came in to pitch starting in the top of the fifth … Justin Calomeni came in to pitch the top of the sixth … Michael Gomez came in to pitch with two outs and the bases loaded the bottom of the sixth.
