STANFORD, Calif. - Jake MacNichols hit a two-run homer to tie Kevin Dunton atop the Santa Clara baseball career home run list but Stanford hit four home runs to power past the Broncos 10-7 on Thursday afternoon at the Sunken Diamond.

 

Christian Robinson, Brett Barrera, Tim Tawa and Brock Jones each went deep, driving in nine runs total and starter Brendan Beck allowed four runs over 6.1 innings to help the Cardinal (1-0) take the first game of the four-game alternating site series.

 

Santa Clara closed the gap in the seventh inning putting up five runs including a two-run round tripper by Jason Dicochea, but could not overcome the early deficit from Stanford's power surge.

 

In the top of the first with Dicochea on base, MacNichols hammered a pitch from Beck over the left field wall to give the Broncos (1-2) a 2-0 advantage.  It was the fifth-year senior's 38th career homer matching Dunton's totals from 1982-85.

 

The lead was short lived when Stanford put up five runs in the home half of the first against SCU starting pitcher Russell Grant.  The southpaw gave up a single to Tawa and issued a pair of walks to load the bases.  With two outs, Grant struck out Nick Brueser that would have ended the inning but the ball got away from the catcher MacNichols who picked up the ball in front of the plate, had difficulty with his footing causing him to throw the ball late to first, scoring Tawa.

 

Stanford (1-0) took advantage of the tough break by the Broncos when the next batter, Robinson went deep for a grand slam to complete the five run inning.

 

Barrera and Tawa each hit a two-run homer in the fourth off SCU reliever Cole Kitchen to extend the Cardinal lead to 9-2.

 

After giving up two runs in the first, Beck allowed just two more base runners in the next five frames.  But in the seventh, the first two Broncos hitters reached base before Beck was pulled for Max Meier.  SCU strung together a couple of RBI hits by Connor Henriques and Dawson Brigman before Dicochea's homer to get within 10-7.

 

Zach Grech came in relief of Meier in the seventh and retired the next seven batters to earn the save.  Beck picked up with win while Grant took the loss. 

 

 

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