Check out photos from the win!
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara baseball capped its 2016 home schedule with a 6-5 walkoff win on Senior Day Sunday afternoon at Schott Stadium. Stevie Berman hit a one-out single up the middle with the bases loaded in the 10th to score Evan Haberle and complete a three-game West Coast Conference sweep of Portland.
Sunday's victory marked the first time Santa Clara overturned a ninth inning deficit this season. The Broncos (23-26, 10-14 WCC) rallied to send five members of the senior class off with a victory in their last home game.
The Pilots (17-32, 3-21 WCC) took a 5-4 lead on Cody Hawken's solo home run in the eighth. With two outs and bases empty in the ninth, Matt Smithwick hit a pop up on the infield that fell between Portland first baseman Brady Kerr and second baseman Kevin Farley for a double. Senior Kert Woods drove in Smithwick with an RBI single to keep the Broncos alive.
Santa Clara loaded the bases with no outs in the 10th, and brought Berman to the plate against Pilot reliever Marty Luckenbach (L, 3-2). The Bronco catcher connected on a 2-0, one-out pitch for a hard hit ground ball up the middle that got through for the game-winning hit.
The contest was close throughout, featuring four ties and three lead changes. Neither team led by more than two runs in the series finale. After falling behind 1-0 in the second, the Broncos tied it up on senior TC Florentine's RBI single in the third. John Cresto and Berman put the hosts in front 3-1 on back-to-back RBI doubles with two outs in the fourth.
Santa Clara starter Jason Seever cruised through the first 5.0 innings; he had a no-hitter through four frames and retired nine straight Pilots from the second through the fourth. Portland used two singles and a walk to load the bases in the sixth and Seever issued a strikeout of Ryan Barr followed by a bases-loaded walk to Kevin Farley that pulled Portland within a run.
Bronco senior Nick Medeiros took over after Farley's trip to the plate and walked in a run, then hit Cody Hawken with two outs to put the Pilots on top 4-3. With one out and the bases loaded, Jacob Steffens came into the game and retired two straight batters to stop the scoring in a three-run inning. Florentine hit his first home run as a Bronco to tie the game at four heading into the eighth.
Steffens struck out four batters in 2.2 innings and Max Kuhns (W, 1-3) earned his first win of the season by pitching perfect ninth and 10th innings with two strikeouts. Seever allowed three earned runs and struck out four in 5.1 innings while Portland starter Kevin Baker gave up three earned runs in 5.1 innings and fanned six batters.
Four of Santa Clara's five seniors played in the home finale; Cortopassi went 1-for-4 with two walks and two runs scored, Florentine went 2-for-5 with a homer and two RBIs, Ryan Budnick doubled in the second inning and Medeiros pitched in relief. Sunday also marked Peter Hendron's last home game with the Broncos. Berman led all batters by going 3-for-5 with two RBIs and Evan Haberle hit safely twice and scored a run.
Santa Clara plays its final series of the season at BYU, beginning Thursday at 5 p.m.
GAME NOTES: Time of the game was 3:16 … attendance was 412 .... Santa Clara is 1-1 in extra-innings games this season ... Portland is 0-6.
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