Posted: May 06, 2018
STOCKTON, Calif. – Jake Brodt's RBI single in the top of the ninth inning broke a 6-6 deadlock as Santa Clara baseball beat Pacific 9-6 to take the conference series in a game that saw nine total runs scored in the last three innings.
Santa Clara (22-23, 8-13 WCC) took a two run lead into the bottom of the eighth inning but Pacific (19-27, 9-15 WCC) tied it up on RBIs by Nate Verlin and Matthew Tarantino against Broncos reliever Penn Murfee. With runners at first and second and two outs, Freddie Erlandson came in relief and uncorked a wild pitch to put the runners in scoring position. However, the big right-hander got Keaton Glover to pop up to first to end the Tigers threat.
With the game tied at six apiece and facing Tigers reliever Ryan Shreve, Joe Becht (1-for-5, R) led off the ninth with a single and advanced to second on Jason Dicochea's (2-for-3, 2 R, RBI) sacrifice bunt. Brodt then blooped a single to left that Becht got a good read on, scoring comfortably for the go ahead run. Brodt advanced to second on the leftfielder's throw to home and with first base open, John Cresto was intentionally walked. Brodt and Cresto got into scoring position on a double steal before scoring on back-to-back wild pitches by Shreve to give the Broncos a 9-6 lead.
Erlandson (4-4), who finished the game and pitched a total of 1 1/3 inning was credited with the win for the Broncos. Shreve (2-3) took the loss.
Six different Broncos drove in a run, including Dicochea's RBI single in the seventh that gave Santa Clara a 4-3 lead. Brodt picked up his first RBI of the game when he drove home Dicochea with a double down the left field line to add to the Broncos lead, 5-3.
Pacific came back with a run in the home half of the seventh to make it a one run game, 5-4, on Bradley Jekich's RBI single. For Jekich, it was one of his four hits in the game.
In the eighth, the Broncos extended its lead back to two runs on Grant Meylan's (1-for-2, R, RBI) RBI single scoring Evan Haberle (2-for-4, 2 R, RBI) before the Tigers tied it up in its home half of the inning.
The Broncos sent three pitchers to the mound, starter Michael Praszker, Murfee and Erlandson which allowed 13 hits and six walks. However, they were able to get out of jams stranding 15 Tiger runners on base. For the game, the Tigers left at least two runners on base in six of the innings including leaving the bases loaded in two of those innings.
The Broncos have now won back-to-back conference series, both on the road, after taking two out of three at San Francisco last weekend. Santa Clara will next face No. 2 Stanford at The Farm on Tuesday. First pitch is at 6:05 p.m. PT.
