MALIBU, Calif. – Santa Clara baseball earned a series win on Saturday by defeating Pepperdine 2-1 in 12 innings. The Broncos scored two runs in the top of the 12th inning on a two-RBI single by junior first baseman Jake Brodt.
Santa Clara (10-31, 6-11 WCC) were locked in a scoreless battle at Pepperdine (17-23, 6-11 WCC) but broke through in the top of the 12th inning. Brodt accounted for three of Santa Clara's eight hits on the day, including the game-winning RBI single that drove in sophomore John Cresto and junior Joe Becht.
"We had some big knocks and played outstanding defense," head coach Dan O'Brien said. "But the credit for today's win goes to Eric (Lex) and our pitching staff for their outstanding performances on the mound. Talk about resiliency, that group has been through a lot and they continue to show up and compete for us. It says a lot about their make up and the make up of (associate head coach and pitching coach) Coach (Gabe) Ribas."
Redshirt sophomore Eric Lex was the starting pitcher for the Broncos and although he was given a no-decision, he had a very strong outing. The right-hander threw 7.0 innings, allowed five hits, zero earned runs, walked one batter and struck out four in 98 pitches.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Alonzo Billips (2-0) earned the win for the second straight game. He entered the game in the 10th inning and threw two scoreless innings and allowed just two hits and a walk. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Luke Martin-Resnick earned the save as he inherited a baserunner in the 12th and got the final three outs of the game.
Junior catcher Lucas Eliason reached based on a fielder's choice in the top of the 12th inning. Becht pinch ran for him and advanced to second on Cresto's walk. After a groundout, the two runners moved up 90 feet and a walk loaded the bases for Brodt with two outs. Brodt drove in his 19th and 20th runs of the season to tie for the most on the team.
The Waves scored one run in the bottom of the 12th as a walk and hit batter put two runners on. Martin-Resnick drew two straight groundouts, the second of which drove in a run and then induced a pop out with the tying run on the third base to close the deal.
Up Next: Santa Clara will play in the series finale on Sunday at 1 p.m. PT.
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