Berkeley, Calif. - Santa Clara struggled to find rhythm against No. 10 California Wednesday afternoon, falling 5-0 at Levine-Fricke Stadium. The Broncos drop to 6-35 overall, 3-9 in PCSC action. Santa Clara welcomes Brigham Young to the Mission Campus on April 19-20, with both days featuring 12 p.m. double-headers.
Santa Clara matched Cal with six hits apiece, but the Bears utilized 11 total baserunners to push across the five runs.
Broncos starter Briana Rios worked through the first four innings, allowing four hits and five runs with five walks. Ciara Gonzales came on in the fifth inning, finishing the game for Santa Clara.
Freshman shortstop Casandra Padilla led the way for the Broncos, notching two hits. Kelly Scribner, Jordan Newell, Chiara Biagini and Krista Jensen all recorded one. The Broncos were unable to advance a runner past second base the entire game.
Cal used a three-run fourth inning to widen the gap, after having scored one run in both the second and third innings. Danielle Hendersen knocked in two of the five runs for the Bears, and sister Jolene Hendersen led Cal with two hits. J. Henderson and Lindsay Ziegenhirt recorded the other two RBI for the Bears.
Santa Clara returns to the SCU Softball Field after a 20-day hiatus which saw the Broncos compete in 10 road games, starting with the April 3 showdown at San Jose State. The Broncos have collected five of their six wins at home and are looking to do the same with the Cougars in town this weekend.
Santa Clara is 4-1 against BYU all-time but have not faced the Cougars since 2010. BYU has won the last four meetings.
BYU (19-22 overall, 8-4 PCSC) is led by JC Clayton, who has been atop all major batting categories in the PCSC this season. Clayton has been named PCSC Player of the Week four times in 2013. The senior shortstop is batting .382, with 55 hits and 30 runs.
Gordy Bravo boasts a .366 batting average, with 45 hits and 21 runs. Alex Shamo-Hudson (.354 BA) and Katie Manuma (.318 BA) have combined for 76 hits and 33 runs. Manuma has a team-high 32 RBI.
In the circle for BYU, Hannah Howell (9-14) owns a 3.12 ERA with a team-high 89 strikeouts. She tossed a perfect game against LMU on April 13, leading the Cougars to an 11-0 victory and a 2-2 series split with the Lions.
