SANTA CLARA, Calif. - Jordan Vujovich and Nick Yovetich hit home runs for San Francisco who withstood a late Santa Clara baseball rally to hold on for a 7-6 victory on Saturday.

In the bottom of the ninth, Santa Clara (11-17, 4-7) had the potential tying run at second but could not push the run across as reliever Jesse Barron retired Mike Bowes and Jake MacNichols to close out the game.

Vujovich, the cleanup hitter, reached base three times and hit a three-run home run while the first three hitters of the lineup went a combined 7-for-14 with four runs for San Francisco (13-15, 8-3) who have now won eight-straight games including the first two games of the series.

The Broncos trailed by as many as five runs in the game but got to within a run in the eighth when Jake MacNichols and Austin Reyes each went deep against Barron.

MacNichols led off the eighth with a solo home run and after Matt Jew reached base on an error, Austin Reyes deposited an 1-2 offering by Barron over the left field fence to make it a 7-6 game.  With one out, Dawson Brigman laced a double to left field but he was doubled up at second on Coleman Brigman's line drive to second baseman Brandon Greim to end the inning.

San Francisco jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, putting up four runs in the third behind Vujovich's home run against Bronco starter Freddie Erlandson and Yovetich's solo shot in the fourth.

Ryan McCarthy doubled home two runs in the fourth to get SCU on the scoring column against starter Josh Mollerus who threw four innings.  When the Broncos scored in the fourth and sixth frames, the Dons answered back and held a four run lead heading into the eighth.

Dons reliever Max Jones (2-1) picked up the win tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings.  He entered the game in the sixth after Reyes' RBI single made it 6-3.  He inherited runners in scoring position but retired the next two batters to maintain the 6-3 Dons lead.  Erlandson was saddled with the loss.  

Reyes went 2-for-3, scored a pair of runs and drove in three runs.

USF collected 12 hits with Darius Foster getting three of those hits. 

NEXT UP

The Broncos and the Dons close out the series on Sunday at noon.