Posted: Apr 17, 2018
BERKELEY, Calif. – John Cresto deposited the first pitch of the game over the left field wall and the Broncos never looked back, beating Pac-12 conference opponent Cal, 6-4, on a cool Tuesday evening at Evans Diamond.
Batting leadoff for the first time this season and playing his customary third base position, Cresto (2-for-5, 2 R, RBI) set the tone for the Broncos (16-18), hitting the solo shot off Bears starter Rogelio Reyes.
In the second inning, Jake MacNichols crushed a three-run homer with Jason Dicochea (1-for-3, R) and Matt Smithwick (1-for-4, R) on base to take a 4-0 lead, knocking Reyes out of the game.
The Bears (21-13), who entered the game batting .311 for the season, came back with a run in the second and two runs in the third to cut the Broncos lead to 4-3 against Bronco starter Cade Negley who was making his first collegiate appearance.
Michael Praszker came into relief for Negley in the fourth, pitching three no-hit innings while striking out four to settle things down for the Broncos. In the fifth, the Broncos added to its lead, scoring two, when Dicochea reached on an error followed by three straight singles by Cresto, Joe Becht (1-for-4) and Jake Brodt (2-for-4, RBI).
Becht's single extended his consecutive bases streak to 34 games.
With a 6-3 lead, relievers Alex Waldsmith and Penn Murfee held the potent Bears offense to one run, on a solo home run by Andrew Vaughn, in the seventh and eighth innings. It was Vaughn's 16th homer of the season, the second most in the nation.
In the ninth, Broncos head coach Rusty Filter sent the usual Friday starter, Steven Wilson to the mound to close things out of the Broncos with a 6-4 lead. Wilson gave up a two out double to Vaughn, who went 4-for-5 in the game, before striking out Jonah Davis to end the game.
The win snapped a nine game losing streak for the Broncos who will travel to Pullman, Washington to face another Pac-12 opponent, Washington State this weekend.