Posted: Mar 22, 2019
NORTHRIDGE, Calif. – Santa Clara baseball jumped to a 4-0 lead but gave up 10 unanswered runs to CSUN and lost the series opener to the Matadors, 14-8 on Friday in a nonconference game.
Santa Clara (3-16) gave Friday starter Keegan McCarville an early four run lead with two runs each in the second and third innings. However, CSUN (10-13) plated four runs in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game and added four more in the fourth frame to take the lead for good.
In the second, Tony Boetto (2-for-4, 4 RBIs) and Connor Henriques (2-for-4, RBI) had RBI singles against CSUN starter Theron Kay and doubled its lead to 4-0 in the third on Jake MacNichols' (2-for-3, 2 R, 2 RBIs) two-run homer, his team leading sixth of the season.
McCarville, who entered the game allowing just three runs in the last four starts spanning 24 1/3 innings retired the CSUN lineup in order the first two frames.
In the third, the Bronco right-hander issued a leadoff walk to Andrew Lucas (1-for-3, 2 R) who came home on Jose Ruiz's (2-for-3, 3 R, 3 RBIs) triple to score the first run for the Matadors. An RBI single by Brandon Bohning (3-for-5, 3 R, 4 RBIs) scored Ruiz, followed by a two-run homer by Kyle Barret (3-for-5, R, 4 RBIs) to tie the game up at 4-all.
The trio of Ruiz, Bohning and Barrett combined to drive in 11 of 14 runs for CSUN.
The Matadors took the lead in the fourth on Wesley Ghan-Gibson's solo homer and added three more runs in the frame including a two RBI double by Bohning to chase McCarville out of the game.
CSUN tacked on two more runs in the fifth to go up 10-4 before the Broncos closed the gap to 10-6 on Boetto's two run double but that's as close as the Broncos would get.
Kay (1-0) won his first game of the season and McCarville (2-3) dropped his third decision of the season.
The Broncos outhit the Matadors 13 to 12 with five players collecting two hits or more.
NOTES
-Boetto drove in a career-high four runs.
-Matt Jew recorded his first career three hit game.
NEXT UP
Game two of the series is on Saturday at 1 p.m. with a pair of left-handed pitchers going at it. The Broncos will send Russell Grant II (0-1, 3.72 ERA) and the Matadors will go with Wesley Moore (2-1, 2.51 ERA).