SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Santa Clara starting pitcher Mitchell White tied his career-best mark of 12 strikeouts as Bronco baseball fell to Pepperdine 7-1 Saturday night at Schott Stadium. The Waves scored in five separate innings and got a solid performance from starting pitcher A.J. Puckett to win the series-opening game. 

White (L, 2-4) threw 7.2 innings and allowed six runs (four earned) on eight hits with no walks for the Broncos (13-15, 2-5 WCC). He reached double-digit strikeouts for the third time in 2016, and struck out four straight hitters from the final out of the first through the end of the second. Puckett (W, 5-2) struck out seven while allowing three hits and three walks in 8.0 shutout frames.

Leading 2-0 in the fourth, the Waves (14-14, 5-5) got solo home runs in consecutive innings to make it a four-run lead. Manny Jefferson led off the fourth with his team-high and co-WCC best seventh homer of the year and Brad Anderson tacked on a two-out homer in the fifth. Brandon Caruso and Chris Fornaci tallied back-to-back RBIs in the eighth and Anderson hit a two-out, RBI single for Pepperdine's seventh run of the game in the ninth.

Kert Woods drove in Santa Clara's only run of the game on a sacrifice fly to score Grant Meylan in the home ninth. TC Florentine led the Broncos with two hits and Meylan reached base twice with a single and two walks. The Waves spread 11 hits among eight batters; Anderson and Caruso topped the visitors with two RBIs apiece.

The Broncos and Waves return to Schott Stadium for a Sunday doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. First pitch of Game 2 is slated for 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 1.

GAME NOTES: First pitch was at 5:58 p.m. … time of the game was 2:39 … attendance was 460.

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