Posted: May 13, 2018
SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara baseball seniors carried the Broncos to a 5-2 win and a series sweep over Loyola Marymount on Senior Day Sunday at Stephen Schott Stadium in the final home series of the season. Senior pitchers Alex Barden and Penn Murfee bookended the game to earn the win and a save with senior first baseman Jake Brodt driving in the first three Santa Clara runs, including the go-ahead run scoring senior Anthony Geremia.
Santa Clara (25-24, 11-13 WCC) head coach Rusty Filter put out an all-senior lineup including giving the starting nod to Barden. The left-hander responded with a career best outing, pitching five strong innings giving up just two hits and two runs to pick up his first career win.
Things started a bit shaky for Barden in the first inning giving up a leadoff single to Niko Decolati and a two-run home run to Jamey Smart. However, Barden settled down to retire the next eight hitters and did not allow another hit before being replaced by Alex Waldsmith in the sixth.
Brodt, Joe Becht and Geremia led the offensive charge for Santa Clara, getting a run each in the first, third and fifth innings to give Barden a 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the first Brodt hit his (1-for-2, R, 3 RBIs) league leading 14th homer, a solo shot, off Lions starter CJ Fernandezees to cut the deficit to 2-1.
In the third, the Broncos put runners at the corners on back-to-back singles by Geremia (2-for-3, 2 R) and Becht (2-for-5). Brodt hit a game tying sacrifice fly to center scoring Geremia.
The fifth inning was a near repeat of the third inning when Geremia and Becht got back-to-back hits to get into scoring position before Brodt brought home Geremia on a sacrifice fly for his third RBI of the game and the go-ahead run.
With the Broncos leading 3-2, the Lions (21-27, 12-12 WCC) put two runners against Barden to start the top of the sixth inning prompting Filter to go to his bullpen. Waldsmith who entered as the first non-senior Bronco for the game, issued a walk to the first hitter he faced to load the bases with no outs. The sophomore right-hander hunkered from that moment on, striking out Niko Pacheco before getting Trevins Esquerra to ground out to an inning ending double play to keep the Lions off the scoring column in the inning.
Waldsmith struck out the side in the seventh and added another strike out in the eighth to finish with five punch outs for the game in three innings before giving way to Murfee in the ninth.
The Broncos got some insurance runs in the eighth when pinch hitter Ryan McCarthy hit a two-RBI double to give the Broncos a three run cushion, 5-2.
Murfee earned his fourth save of the season striking out the side on 12 pitches in the ninth inning to give the Broncos a series sweep.
In a pregame ceremony, five LMU seniors, Bronco student manager Michael Guggenheim and 13 Bronco seniors were recognized. The 13 Broncos were accompanied by families and friends onto the field and was greeted by Filter who presented each senior with flowers and a framed Bronco jersey.
Next up for Santa Clara is a road trip to Gonzaga for the final regular season series starting Friday.
HIGHLIGHTS/INTERVIEW | @Barden_Alex on Santa Clara's Senior Day victory over Loyola Marymount! Watch full interviews with Barden and Jake Brodt here ▶️ https://t.co/DLxW7cYQki #StampedeTogether #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/VdqkZTkhr5
— Santa Clara Baseball (@SCU_Baseball) May 14, 2018
HIGHLIGHTS/INTERVIEW | @JakeBrodt30 on Santa Clara's Senior Day victory over Loyola Marymount! Watch full interviews with Brodt and Alex Barden here ▶️ https://t.co/DLxW7cYQki #StampedeTogether #SCUBroncos pic.twitter.com/3zjgUVsZcp
— Santa Clara Baseball (@SCU_Baseball) May 14, 2018
VIDEO | Great moments for our #SCUBroncos families on Senior Day last weekend! Watch the full video here ▶️ https://t.co/MInpIevpru #StampedeTogether pic.twitter.com/IbTi0THVTJ
— Santa Clara Baseball (@SCU_Baseball) May 18, 2018
