MORAGA, Calif. — Santa Clara baseball rallied from a two-run deficit in the ninth inning to defeat the Saint Mary's Gaels 8-7 at Louis Guisto Field Friday afternoon. The Broncos scored the first five runs of the ballgame and the Gaels answered with seven runs between the sixth and seventh innings before Santa Clara's three-run rally in the contest's final frame.
The Gaels (23-23, 9-14 WCC) had relief pitcher David Dellaserra on the mound for the ninth inning. The righty entered the game in the sixth inning and retired nine of 10 batters through the end of the eighth as Saint Mary's took the lead. The Broncos used three straight hits to start the ninth and tie the game at 7-7; Jose Vizcaino, Jr. singled and Stevie Berman doubled to put two runners in scoring position ahead of TJ Braff's two-run RBI single up the middle. After a sacrifice bunt by Jake Brodt, TC Florentine produced the game-winning hit on an RBI single up the middle to score Braff.
"That was a great team win. Too many guys to mention played key roles today," head coach Dan O'Brien said. "Those are the best kind of days at the yard."
Nick Medeiros (W, 2-1) earned the winning decision in 2.1 relief innings and Dellaserra (L, 2-2) took the loss in 3.0+ innings for the Gaels. Mitchell White (SV, 3) picked up his third save of the season with a strikeout in the ninth for the Broncos (19-26, 7-13 WCC).
Eric Lex allowed three earned runs on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 5.1 innings as the starter for Santa Clara. He pitched five shutout innings to start the game and held the Gaels to three hits over that span; which included a stretch of seven straight batters retired from the third through the end of the fifth. Saint Mary's starter Corbin Burnes allowed five earned runs on seven hits with five walks and 10 strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
The Broncos got on the board in the first inning with back-to-back doubles from Kyle Cortopassi and Vizcaino, Jr., whose hit came within inches of being a home run. Berman hit his third home run of the season — a three-run shot to left field — to make the score 4-0 Santa Clara in the third. The Broncos scored their fifth run of the game on an RBI double to right field by Joe Becht in the fifth inning.
Saint Mary's scored its first run on a leadoff homer by Anthony Gonsolin in the sixth inning to make the score 5-1. Ian McLoughlin, who entered the game as a defensive substitution in the third inning, hit a two-run double in the fifth, which pulled the hosts within two runs at 5-3. Josh Inouye entered the game and struck out Davis Strong before issuing a groundout to Matt Toscano to stop the rally with two runners in scoring position.
In the seventh, Collin Ferguson made it a one-run game on an RBI double to right center field. Nick Medeiros came in to pitch with runners on second and third, and Anthony Villa hit a hard ground ball that deflected off the foot of Santa Clara's second baseman Becht, which Vizcaino, Jr. scooped up at shortstop and threw to Berman behind the plate a split-second too late, allowing Zach Kirtley to score and tie the game at 5-5.
Two batters later, Saint Mary's took the lead 6-5 on McLoughlin's fielder's choice. His ground ball forced Becht to range away from second base, and the Bronco freshman fielded the ball and threw on to second base for the force, but Santa Clara just missed turning the inning-ending double play. Strong hit an RBI single for the seventh straight Saint Mary's run as the Gaels took a 7-5 lead.
"We showed some toughness today," O'Brien said. "To take a blow like that and punch back says a lot about how far we've come. This team needed to get tougher, and they have."
White walked Collin Ferguson on a full count to start the bottom of the ninth inning, and the Gaels called on pinch runner Darian Ramage to replace their first baseman. Ramage took second base with one out on a wild pitch and advanced to third on a groundout by Joey Fiske, who entered the game as a defensive replacement in the top of the inning. White struck out McLoughlin to end the game and earn his third save of the season, all of which have been recorded in Santa Clara's last five games.
"It's impressive how composed [Inouye and White] are in big situations when you look at how many college innings they've thrown," O'Brien said of his freshman pitchers. "I'm so proud of who they are now and am excited to see what they'll both become."
Vizcaino, Jr. went 3-for-4 with an RBI, a double, two runs scored and a walk while Berman and Cortopassi each posted two hits for Santa Clara. Berman led the Broncos with three RBIs and Braff added two RBIs for the Broncos. Kirtley led the Gaels in hits by going 3-for-4 and McLoughlin drove in three runs to tie Berman for a game high.
Santa Clara and Saint Mary's play for the series with a 1 p.m. first pitch Sunday. RHP Steven Wilson (3-3, 3.47 ERA) will start for the Broncos.
GAME NOTES: First pitch was at 1 p.m. … time of game was 3:29 … attendance was 141.
