SAN JOSE, Calif. — Santa Clara baseball won its seventh straight game with a 2-1 victory in 11 innings Tuesday night against San Jose State at Municipal Stadium. The Broncos played a season-long 11-inning contest and picked up their third extra-inning win of the 2015 campaign in their final nonconference matchup of the year.
The Broncos' seven-game winning streak is the longest since the team won eight in a row 14 years ago from March 9-24, 2001.
Santa Clara starting pitcher Evan Brisentine allowed an unearned run on six hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 5.1 innings. San Jose State starter Jonathan Hernandez threw 5.2 shutout innings and allowed two hits alongside a walk and five strikeouts.
Reece Karalus (W, 3-6) earned the win by retiring the only batter he faced in the 11th and Jason Seever (SV, 1) earned his first career save by tossing a three-up-three-down bottom half of the inning. Ross Slaney (L, 1-3) took the loss in 4.1 innings of relief, allowing two earned runs.
The Spartans (12-41) used back-to-back singles to put two runners aboard in the sixth; Joe Stefanki made it to third and Chris Williams advanced to second after Williams' single got under the glove of Bronco right fielder Grant Meylan for an error. Josh Inouye came in to pitch for the Broncos (25-26) and limited San Jose State to one run on Dillan Smith's two-out, RBI single which put the hosts ahead 1-0.
After Slaney retired the first two batters of the seventh, Jake Brodt doubled and advanced to third on a fielding error by Spartan left fielder Brett Bautista. Brodt came in to score the game-tying run on a wild pitch later in the inning.
San Jose State loaded the bases in the bottom of the ninth when Bronco relief pitcher Max Kuhns hit Turtle Kuhaulua with a two-out pitch. Karalus entered the ballgame and retired Smith on a 4-3 groundout as part of an 11-pitch at-bat to take the contest to extra innings.
Joe Becht led off the Bronco 11th with a single and Grant Meylan walked on four pitches put two runners aboard for Kyle Cortopassi. Santa Clara's third baseman laid a sacrifice bunt up the third base line to put two runners in scoring position, and the Spartans intentionally walked Jose Vizcaino, Jr. to load the bases with one out. Stevie Berman hit a ground ball to Spartan third baseman David Campbell, who tagged third base to force out Meylan and threw out of the reach of the first baseman Williams, resulting in an RBI fielder's choice for the game-winning run.
Four different Broncos combined for the team's four hits as the Broncos won for only the sixth time this season when being outhit by their opponent. Stefanki, Williams and Smith each recorded two hits for the Spartans.
The Broncos conclude the regular season with a Thursday-Saturday series against BYU at Schott Stadium.
GAME NOTES: First pitch was at 6:04 p.m. … time of the game was 3:13 … attendance was 348.
