SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara baseball lost to BYU on Thursday night by a score of 9-3. The Cougars hit three home runs on the night to overcome a 3-0 Bronco lead after the second inning. Two of the home runs were two-run shots while the third was solo.
Santa Clara (11-33, 7-12 WCC) jumped out to a three-run lead but BYU (27-14, 15-4 WCC) scored in four of the last seven innings to earn the victory. Freshman right-handed pitcher Grant Nechak was handed the loss as he threw 5.1 innings and allowed six earned runs.
Maverik Ruffo (6-5) earned the win for the Cougars as he threw 8.0 innings and allowed five hits and three earned runs. He walked just one batter and struck out nine in 115 pitches.
SCU struck first in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI single by junior second baseman Evan Haberle to score junior first baseman Jake Brodt. Brodt singled to lead off the inning and advanced to third on a double by senior left fielder Tyler Meditz. Meditz and Haberle then came around to score on an RBI double by sophomore right fielder Matt Smithwick to put SCU up 3-0. The Broncos recorded four hits in the inning and had just one more in the rest of the game, a single coming in the sixth.
BYU responded with a run of its own in the top of third inning on an RBI single by Brennon Anderson as he drove in Bronson Larsen.
The Cougars then tied the game in the top of the fourth on a two-run home run by Brock Hale. Anderson then hit an RBI single to score Larsen again and put the Cougars up 6-3.
BYU then took a 5-3 lead on a two-run shot by Colton Shaver in the top of the sixth inning. He drove in Hale who walked in the prior at-bat.
Kyle Dean hit a solo home run to center in the top of the eighth inning to put BYU up 7-3. BYU added to the lead on a single by Tanner Chauncey after two straight walks.
Up Next: Santa Clara and BYU play game two of the series on Friday at 6 p.m. PT.
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