SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara baseball is set to begin its first true road trip of the 2016 season Tuesday afternoon. The Broncos head to Reno for a 3 p.m. first pitch against the Nevada Wolf Pack ahead of this weekend's four-game road set against the Washington Huskies.
The Broncos went 2-2 as hosts of last weekend's Jack Gifford Memorial Tournament, including a 5-3 win over No. 14 Michigan Sunday night.
Game Info
Santa Clara (5-3) at Nevada (3-5)
Tuesday, March 1, 2016 | 3 p.m. PST | Game #9 | Away Game #2
Reno, Nev. | Peccole Park
Live Stats: nevadawolfpack.com | Audio: portal.stretchinternet.com/nevada
Series Info
All-Time Series: Santa Clara Leads 85-48-2 (1908-2015)
Last Season: Monday, March 30, 2015 — SCU Won 3-0 at Schott Stadium
The Broncos and Wolf Pack will meet for the third straight season. Santa Clara is 3-2 in the last five series matchups.
Probable Starters
SCU RHP Michael Bono (0-0, 1.29 ERA) vs. NEV RHP Zach Wilkins (1-0, 5.14 ERA)
Broncos in the Field
2016 Preseason All-WCC selection Stevie Berman and freshman John Cresto are neck-and-neck for the team batting average lead. Berman's slash line is .407/.500./.741 and Cresto's is .406/.424/.750 through eight games.
Berman has hit safely in all eight contests this season, and led the Broncos with six RBIs in five games last week. Cresto finished a single shy of the cycle in Santa Clara's game against Saint Joseph's on Saturday night.
Jake Brodt is 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts to lead the team in that category, and ranks third on the Broncos with a .304 batting average.
After going hitless in his first four games of the season, Kert Woods is hitting .333 (5-for-15) in his last four contests, Woods has posted an RBI in four of his last six games.
The Broncos have 11 extra-base hits in their last three games. Santa Clara has turned eight double plays this season and hit into only two.
Broncos on the Mound
Michael Bono makes his ninth career appearance and second career start for the Broncos Tuesday afternoon. The sophomore allowed an earned run on three hits over 4.0 innings and struck out two last Tuesday at San José State in a 7-4 Bronco win.
Max Kuhns is tied for second in the NCAA with four saves. The Parker, Colo. native is one of five pitchers in the country with four or more saves after two weekends of play.
Santa Clara's staff has posted double-digit strikeouts in three straight games and six times overall in eight games. The Broncos have allowed more than three earned runs just once on the year.
Nevada
The Wolf Pack was swept on the road at UC Irvine last weekend. Nevada began the season by splitting a four-game set with Northwestern in Mesa, Ariz., then winning a midweek contest 11-5 at Arizona State. Tuesday is the team's first home game of the season.
Miles Mastrobuoni leads the Wolf Pack with a .455 batting average and Bryce Greager tops Nevada with eight RBIs. Zach Wilkins has made one start and one relief appearance this season, with nine strikeouts in 7.0 innings.
2016 Bronco Schedule Notes
- Santa Clara defeated a ranked opponent on opening weekend for the second straight season by defeating No. 24 Notre Dame 2-0 on Saturday, Feb. 20 and 4-2 on Sunday, Feb. 21. The Broncos won a Saturday contest at defending national champion and unanimous preseason No. 1 Vanderbilt last year.
- Santa Clara played seven of its first eight games at home; the only road game in that stretch was a Tuesday win at San José State on Feb. 23.
- The Broncos have 13 games in 17 days to start the season.
- Santa Clara is slated to play four-game weekends four times during a five-weekend span from the end of February through the end of March.
- The Broncos face 2015 WCC postseason champion Pepperdine at home and 2015 WCC regular season champion San Diego on the road during consecutive weekends in April.
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