Baseballs Loses Both Doubleheader Games in Season Opener

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – After rain postponements on Friday and Saturday, the 2019 Santa Clara baseball season finally got underway on Sunday against crosstown rival San Jose State but the Broncos lost both doubleheader games dropping the first game 8-5 and the second game by a score of 4-3.  

 

 

San José State (1-0) jumped on Santa Clara starter Keegan McCarville early to score three runs in the first inning and added four more in the fifth to take a 7-0 lead en route to a 8-5 win in game one of the doubleheader.  

 

Trailing by four runs in the bottom of the ninth, the Broncos (0-1) loaded the bases with no outs but were only able to push across one run.  Three straight singles by Ryan Jeffries (1-for-1, R), Ryan McCarthy (2-for-5) and Matt Jew (2-for-4, R, RBI) loaded the bases to open the frame.  Jeffries scored on an RBI grounder by Dawson Brigman but McCarthy and Jew were stranded on base to end the game.  

 

In the first, San José State's James Shimashita (2-for-4, 4 RBIs) hit a bases clearing double off McCarville, the junior college transfer who got the opening day nod, to give the Spartans a 3-0 lead.   

 

The Spartans added four runs in the fifth, aided by three Bronco errors and another RBI hit by Shimashita knocking out McCarville who allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings.  

 

The Broncos could not get its offense going against Spartan starter Andrew Mitchel, who gave up just two hits and struck out six before being pulled out after four shutout innings.  

 

In the sixth frame, freshman Jew got things rolling for the Broncos belting a solo home run over the left field fence to put the Broncos on the board against Nicholas Morales who replaced Mitchel.  

 

After the Broncos loaded the bases on three walks, Andre Nnebe (2-for-5, RBI) drove in a run and Jason Dicochea (1-for-4, 2 RBIs) drove home two more on a double to cut the Spartans lead to 7-4.  

 

Locke Bernhardt, Alex Reelfs and Matthew McGarry each made their Bronco debuts on the mound and held the Spartans to four hits and no earned runs in the final 4 2/3 innings.  

 

Left-hander Zach Wallace (1-0) threw two scoreless innings and pitched most effectively amongst the three relievers got the win.  

 

For the Spartans, Connor Konishi (3-for-5, 2 R) and Kellen Strahm (3-for-5, 2 R, RBI) had three hits each.  

 

Fineas Del Bonta-Smith got the final four outs to earn the save.  McCarville took the loss for the Broncos.  

 

 

In the backend of the doubleheader, San Jose State's Tevin Cadola and Josh Zanger combined to allow three runs on seven hits and struck out eight Broncos to give the Spartans a 4-3 win.  

 

Trailing by a run in the home half of the ninth, the Broncos put the potential tying runner in scoring position with one out when pinch-runner Cam Allie reached second on a sacrifice bunt by Blake Faddoul.  But Allie was left stranded with Zanger getting the final two Broncos outs.  

 

Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the fourth, freshmen Matt Jew (2-for-4, R, RBI) and Dawson Brigman (1-for-4, R, RBI) hit solo home runs against Cadola to give the Broncos a 3-2 lead.  However, Broncos could not score besides the fourth inning as Cadola (1-0) gave up six hits over five innings to earn the win.

 

San Jose State came back in the sixth on a game-tying RBI single by James Shimashita (1-for-3, R, 2 RBIs) followed by the go-ahead RBI single by Troy Viola against Bronco reliever Alex Tisminezky (0-1) who was saddled with the loss.  

 

Zanger pitched the final four innings allowing just one hit for the save. 

 

The three game series concludes on Monday with the first pitch at 2:30 p.m. 

 

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