March 4, 2007
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Still smarting from a tough 11-inning loss yesterday at home, the Santa Clara baseball team jumped all over the San Jose State Spartans on Sunday afternoon, scoring the first 15 runs of the ballgame to slam the door on any hopes of a comeback in a 15-3 win at Blethen Field.
The victory evens SCU's record at 10-10, as the Broncos prepare for a four-game week starting Tuesday night, March 6. That night the Broncos will host the Stanford Cardinal at Stephen Schott Stadium in a 6 p.m. contest, before heading to Fresno this weekend to play a three-game set against the Fresno State Bulldogs.
Every Santa Clara starter had at least one hit in Sunday's contest, as Gabe Alcantar, Kevin Drever, and Evan LeBlanc each had three hits to lead the team, and Carl Bacon, Jon Karcich, and Juan Parra all had a pair of hits. LeBlanc drove in four runs to pace the squad, while Karcich brought in three, and Alcantar and Ryan Conan each drove in a pair.
The Broncos took advantage of a San Jose State fielding error with two outs in the first inning to stage a six-run rally. After Matt Long scored on the error, the Broncos got four straight RBI singles off the bats of Bacon, LeBlanc, Drever, and Karcich, before David Hoffmire, following Parra's single to load the bases, drew a walk to bring home the inning's sixth run and chase Spartan starter Spencer Snodgrass, who took his first loss of the year.
SCU added another pair of runs in the following frame as Alcantar and Conan drew walks off of Tyler Haggett, the first of six Spartan relievers. Following Bacon's sacrifice bunt, Haggett was relieved by Steven Vidal, who promptly surrendered a two-run single up the middle to LeBlanc. Alcantar's RBI single in the third made it 9-0 Broncos after three.
Santa Clara loaded the bases to start the fifth, and Alcantar drove in his second run of the day with a sacrifice fly to right. Conan then doubled to drive in two more, and later in the inning, LeBlanc and Karcich added doubles of their own which drove in one and two runs, respectively.
SCU starter Nate Garcia cruised through six innings of work Sunday, allowing only three hits and an unearned run in the sixth while striking out a pair of batters. Four SCU relievers combined to hold down the Spartans the rest of the way, securing SCU's 10th win of the year.
