Posted: Apr 14, 2018
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara baseball fell, 6-2, to Pepperdine in game two of the West Coast Conference matchup on Saturday giving up the go-ahead run in the seventh inning.
Trailing 2-0 in the home half of the sixth, the Broncos (15-17, 4-10 WCC) tied the game up on doubles by Matt Smithwick (2-for-3, R), Joe Becht (2-for-3, R, RBI) and Jason Dicochea (1-for-3, RBI). However, the Waves (16-17, 8-6 WCC) answered with the go-ahead run in the top half of the seventh against Bronco starter Freddie Erlandson (3-2).
The first five innings was a scoreless game in a pitcher's duel between Erlandson and Waves starter Jonathan Pendergast.
From the second inning to the fifth, Erlandson retired 10 Waves batters in a row before giving up a Brandt Belt single to start off the sixth. Cory Wills followed with a single before Quincy McAfee drove home both with a double down the right field line to break the scoreless deadlock.
The Broncos answered back in the sixth against Pendergast with the three doubles to tie the game up, 2-2. Through the first five frames, Pendergast had faced the minimum number of batters, retiring 12 Broncos at one point.
Pepperdine scored the go-ahead run in the seventh on a Belk fielder's choice RBI, scoring Ahron Modlin. Modlin started the inning getting hit by an Erlandson pitch before advancing to second on a Joe Caparis sacrifice bunt. Eric Lex came in relief and gave up a single to Chase Lambert to put the runners at the corners before Modlin's fielder's choice grounder to go up 3-2.
The score remained 3-2 in favor of the Waves until Pepperdine broke the game open in the ninth, putting up three runs on three hits off Lex to make it 6-2.
Pendergast (3-4) pitched 7 2/3 innings allowing seven hits and two runs to pick up the win. Erlandson (3-2) gave up three runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings to take the loss.
Becht led off the bottom of the first with a single and has now reached base safely in all 32 games this season.
In the series finale on Sunday, Santa Clara will send right-handed pitcher Travis Howard (1-1, 4.36 ERA) against right-hander Jordan Qsar (0-1, 0.90 ERA) who has played right-field in the first two games of the series.
Sunday is also the inaugural Dog Day at Schott Stadium.
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