Posted: Mar 03, 2018
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara baseball beat Utah, 4-2, in the series opener behind another strong performance by the Bronco pitching staff. Five Bronco pitchers combined to scatter eight hits and two runs while striking out 11 Utes.
Senior Steven Wilson got the starting nod for the Broncos and fanned six Utah batters in his three innings of no hit work. Wilson allowed just one runner on a walk.
The Broncos (6-3) scored in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back. Junior Austin Reyes led off the inning with a double off Utah starter Kyle Robeniol and came home on a fielding error by Utes third baseman Rykker Tom who could not field Jake Brodt's liner.
In the home half of the fourth, sophomore Jake MacNichols blasted a solo home run to left field to make it a 2-0 lead for the Broncos.
Santa Clara tacked on two more runs in the sixth on Brodt's two-run homer to bring home John Cresto, who reached base on a single, to extend the Santa Clara lead to 4-0.
HIGHLIGHTS | A double helping of Jake home runs as @JakeBrodt30 and Jake MacNichols clear the fences in the middle innings of tonight's 4-2 victory over Utah! FULL HIGHLIGHT ▶️ https://t.co/Q3nJEGbSLh #StampedeTogether #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/or1dEmWbIP
— Santa Clara Baseball (@SCU_Baseball) March 4, 2018
Wilson, Alex Barden and Michael Praszker combined to shut out the Utes (0-8) in the first six frames, however, in the top of the seventh, Utah strung together four hits off of Praszker to cut the Bronco lead in half, 4-2.
Bronco head coach Rusty Filter brought in Penn Murfee with runners at first and second with two outs to try to get the Broncos out of the inning. Murfee walked Oliver Dunn to load the bases before getting Utah's number three hitter, Chandler Anderson to pop out to first to end the inning, stranding three runners on base.
Murfee pitched a shutout eighth before turning it over to closer, Eric Lex in the ninth.
Utah put two runners on base against Lex when Chris Rowan struck out but reached first on a passed ball. Dominic Foscalina followed with a single and both runners advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch.
With the tying runs on base, Lex struck out Anderson to close out the game for the Broncos, picking up his third save of the season.
For the game, Utah left 10 runners on base compared to three for the Broncos.
Wilson (2-0) picked up his second win of the season on a predetermined rotation. For the season, the sixth-year senior has not allowed a run over seven innings while striking out 14 and the opposition has gotten just one hit off of him.
Robeniol (0-1) took the loss for Utah, going 6 1/3 innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs. The lefty struckout six while not issuing a walk.
The two teams will close out the series on Sunday in a double header. The first pitch is scheduled for Noon PT with the second game scheduled to start 30 minutes after the end of the first game.