Game Notes | Santa Clara | Portland
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara baseball continues West Coast Conference action with a three-game series at Portland this weekend. First pitch times are set for 2 p.m. PDT Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. On the second to last WCC weekend of the regular season, the Broncos are still in contention for a top four spot in the conference and a second straight appearance in the WCC Baseball Championship.
The Broncos have won three straight contests by scoring the game-deciding run in the game's final inning.
LEADING OFF
On Tuesday, Ryan Budnick hit a solo home run in the 10th to break a scoreless tie at Sunken Diamond for a 1-0 Santa Clara victory over Stanford. The win marked the first time since 1974 that the Broncos swept a season series against the Cardinal, and first time since 2007 that Santa Clara picked up multiple victories against Stanford in a single season.
Santa Clara fell in the series opener 6-1 Friday as Saint Mary's scored two runs in the second, third and fourth innings on its way to a 6-1 win. The Broncos jumped out to a 5-0 lead Saturday and the Gaels responded with seven unanswered runs to take a 7-5 lead into the ninth. Santa Clara scored three runs, including the game-winning hit on an RBI single from TC Florentine, to even the series. In the series finale Sunday, Santa Clara scored three runs with no outs in the ninth and recorded a 5-2-3 game-ending double play with the bases loaded to clinch the series.
Santa Clara can clinch a top four spot in the WCC IF: the Broncos win their last six WCC games, San Francisco sweeps LMU this weekend, Saint Mary's wins one game against BYU this weekend, and Gonzaga wins fewer than five of its remaining six WCC games. The Broncos could also reach the conference championship in a three-way tiebreaker scenario.
SERIES INFO
Game 48: Friday, May 8, 2015 — 2 p.m. PDT
Game 49: Saturday, May 9, 2015 — 1 p.m. PDT
Game 50: Sunday, May 10, 2015 — 1 p.m. PDT
Venue: Joe Etzel Field — Portland, Ore.
Video - Friday: TheW.tv (Ray Crawford)
Audio: portal.stretchinternet.com/santaclara (David Gentile)
Live Stats: www.portland.statbroadcast.com
Series Record: 44-32 SCU
First Meeting: 1956
2014 Regular Season: SCU won two of three at Schott Stadium
4/4/14: POR 9 - SCU 1
4/5/14: SCU 7 - POR 3
4/6/14: SCU 3 - POR 1
Friday, May 8
RHP Reece Karalus (1-6, 3.50 ERA) - LHP Brandon Snyder (0-3, 4.91 ERA)
Saturday, May 9
RHP Eric Lex (3-4, 5.49 ERA) - RHP Kurt Yinger (2-8, 5.70 ERA)
Sunday, May 10
RHP Steven Wilson (3-3, 3.57 ERA) - RHP Davis Tominaga (1-5, 4.12 ERA)
Reece Karalus makes his 24th appearance and fourth start of the season Friday afternoon. He allowed six earned runs on 13 hits with a walk and four strikeouts in 6.0 innings as the Bronco starter last Friday at Saint Mary's. Karalus dealt a scoreless eighth inning by retiring all three batters he faced Tuesday at Stanford. The junior set a career high with 11 strikeouts April 24 against Gonzaga, and has struck out 52 batters against just eight walks this season. Karalus made one start for the Broncos in 2014. He went 0-9 with a 7.04 ERA in 19 appearances and 12 starts as a freshman in 2013.
Karalus is one of 39 pitchers named to the 11th Annual NCBWA Midseason Stopper of the Year Watch list. He was also named to the list during his sophomore campaign with SCU. He ranks 3rd in program history with 21 career saves and has earned nine of those saves in 2015. Anthony Rea (2001-05) and Mike McDonald (1994-97) share the program record with 25 career saves. Karalus recorded the second-most saves in Bronco single-season history with 11 in 2014, earning First-Team All-WCC honors.
Eric Lex makes his 11th appearance and ninth start of the season Saturday. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 5.1 innings last Saturday at Saint Mary's. The Bronco starter shut out the Gaels for the game's first five innings and limited them to only three hits during that span, including a stretch of seven straight batters retired. He did not allow an earned run over an 11.2 inning span March 1 - April 4.
Steven Wilson makes his 12th start of the season Sunday. Wilson allowed three earned runs on seven hits with three walks and four strikeouts last Sunday at Saint Mary's. He has logged seven quality starts on the season and allowed an earned run or less in four of his 10 weekend starts.
Mitchell White recorded his first two career saves in consecutive days against Gonzaga two weekends ago. White has recorded a win or a save in five of his last six outings.
Grant Meylan's 33 walks have eclipsed Santa Clara's leader from last year, the then-freshman Berman who posted 30 for the season. Meylan has already recorded the most walks in a single season since 2009, when Curtis Wagner drew 32. Matt Long drew 36 walks for the Broncos in 2008. Ed Giovanola's single-season record of 55 walks has stood since 1989.
Kyle Cortopassi is on a four-game hitting streak and has drawn a walk in five of his last six games.
Stevie Berman has three four-hit games on the season, and posted five RBIs in the last two games of the Saint Mary's series.
Jose Vizcaino, Jr. hit 12-for-19 (.632) with four extra-base hits, six RBIs and eight runs scored last week to earn his third conference player of the week award for the 2015 season.
Vizcaino, Jr. and T.J. Braff are the only Broncos with four three-RBI games this season.
TC Florentine enters the weekend on a 12-for-22 stretch as part of a six-game hitting streak, and has posted multiple hits five times in his last eight contests.
