SANTA CLARA, Calif. — On the final day of the 2015 regular season and senior day, Santa Clara baseball fell to BYU 4-2 at Schott Stadium Saturday. The Broncos finish their 2015 campaign at 26-28 overall and 12-15 in West Coast Conference play.
Saturday's matchup marked the final game for three Bronco seniors: TJ Braff, Evan Brisentine and CJ Jacobe. The Broncos won 10 of their last 14 games — including eight of their last 11 conference games — and entered the weekend with a chance to finish in the top four of the WCC standings for a postseason berth.
THE SENIORS
Braff was hit by a pitch in his first trip to the plate with two outs in the first inning and recorded three putouts in left field Saturday. This season, the Palo Alto, Calif. native finished second on the team with 32 RBIs and posted a 1.000 fielding percentage, making 126 putouts and nine assists primarily in left field.
Braff finishes his Bronco career with 79 RBIs and a .993 fielding percentage. On the final day of the 2014 regular season, he hit a two-out, RBI single in the bottom of the ninth as Santa Clara walked off and clinched the team's first postseason appearance since 1997 — a trip to the WCC Baseball Championship.
"I'll always remember this team and the guys that I played with. Some of my best friends are on this team," Braff said. "We had that stretch where we were struggling, but the way that we ended was great to be a part of. I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else."
Brisentine pitched 2.1 shutout innings of relief, allowing two hits with a walk and two strikeouts Saturday. The San Ramon, Calif. native retired five straight batters from the final out of the seventh to the first out of the ninth inning. He exited to a standing ovation with one out in the ninth.
Brisentine earned his first career win by pitching 6.1 shutout innings in a 7-1 victory over No. 30 San Diego March 22. He pitched a career-high 7.0 innings twice, allowing just one unearned run in a 2-1 win over San Jose State April 7 and holding Stanford scoreless as part of a 2-1 Bronco win April 5 to help Santa Clara sweep the season series with the Cardinal for the first time since 1974.
"It has honestly just been an honor to be a part of this baseball team and this program for four years," Brisentine said. "Meeting so many dudes, and being able to come out to the yard every day, this is the sanctuary. It's just been a blast growing as a human and as a baseball player. For all the hours we've put in here, I wouldn't trade it for the world."
Jacobe made his second straight start at designated hitter and drew a pair of walks Saturday. With one out and a man on first in the Bronco eighth, Jacobe hit a solid line drive to right field, which forced BYU's Derrick Whitney to make a sliding catch.
Jacobe was one of four Broncos to record three RBIs in two or more games this season. He delivered an RBI walkoff single in the 10th inning Feb. 16, 2014, that clinched Santa Clara's first win of the year over the Nevada Wolf Pack at Schott Stadium.
"We just didn't give up. Playing with all these guys was a blessing," Jacobe said. "From all the long hours you put in, you realize all your teammates are your family. Once you learn to play for one another, then your team just gets that much better. I feel like we learned how to flush all the bad games out, and once we finally developed that will to play for eachother, when a guy is on base and a guy is at the plate, you want to do everything you can for the guy on base to get him in.
"No one is alone, there's always someone who will have your back through everything — through the thick and the thin. We fought, we clawed, and we almost had a chance at the end."
THE GAME
Santa Clara starting pitcher Steven Wilson (L, 3-4) allowed four earned runs on 10 hits with no walks and a strikeout in 6.0 innings. BYU starting pitcher Michael Rucker (W, 5-1) allowed two earned runs on seven hits with four walks and six strikeouts in 6.1 innings. Mason Marshall (SV, 1) threw 2.2 shutout innings and allowed a hit with two strikeouts.
The Cougars (27-23, 15-11 WCC) used consecutive base hits to get on the board in the second inning as Bronson Larsen led off with a double to left field and Tanner Chauncey singled through the left side to make the score 1-0. Chauncey drove in BYU's second run of the game one inning later on an RBI sacrifice fly to center, which featured a diving catch by Santa Clatra's TC Florentine.
Jose Vizcaino, Jr. hit his ninth home run of the season over the batting cages past the left field wall to put the Broncos (26-28, 12-15 WCC) on the board in the home third and cut the lead to 2-1. Vizcaino, Jr.'s nine home runs in 2015 were the most in a single season since current San Diego Padre Tommy Medica hit 13 homers in 2010.
With one out and a man on first in the sixth, Larsen hit a fly ball deep to the left center field gap. Florentine made a long run and jumped into the outfield fence to make the catch for one the day's top defensive efforts.
BYU put runners on second and third with no outs in the sixth on a leadoff single by Colton Shaver and double by Parker Starr. Brennon Lund hit an RBI single that took one bounce off the infield grass and hopped just out of the reach of Bronco third baseman Kyle Cortopassi ahead of Derrick Whitney's RBI sacrifice fly to right field that put the visitors ahead 4-1.
Florentine drew a one-out walk and scored from second base on Stevie Berman's RBI single to right field with two outs to make the score 4-2. Berman and Joe Becht led the Broncos with two hits in the season finale, while Berman Vizcaino, Jr. each recorded an RBI. Starr and Dillon Robinson each posted three hits for the Cougars and Chauncey led all batters with two RBIs.
GAME NOTES: First pitch was at 1:03 p.m. … time of the game was 2:24 … attendance was 380.
