SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Santa Clara baseball rallied from five down in the ninth to walk it off against Pepperdine 13-12 Sunday afternoon in the rubber match of the teams' three-game series.
The Broncos (21-17, 10-8 WCC) found themselves down 12-7 entering the final inning but started the frame with back-to-back singles and Thomas Gould followed with his first collegiate home run to make it just a two-run deficit.
The Waves (20-18, 8-10 WCC) responded by bringing in their closer Grant Georges but he loaded the bases by hitting the first two batters and walking the next. Coleman Brigman then evened the score with a single to center before the first out of the inning was recorded.
Next up was Matt Jew who came to the plate with runners on second and third. Jew left no doubt with a sharp single to right that scored JonJon Berring to spark an improbable celebration.
Hear from @Mattjew_13 after his walk off win Sunday!#StampedeTogether #BroncoBoys pic.twitter.com/jsQpxR1oSh
— Santa Clara Baseball (@SCU_Baseball) April 24, 2022
Jew finished the day with two hits and two walks while also scoring a run to go with his game-winning RBI. Gould collected four RBIs and two runs scored with two hits and a walk and Malcolm Williams was 2-for-3 with a double, a walk, two RBIs, and two runs scored as well. For good measure, Cal Christofori picked up three hits and scored three runs. Berring ended up on base four times, two walks and two HBPs, and scored a pair of runs.
Nico Stanley (1-0) was the beneficiary of the wild ninth as he picked up his first collegiate win. He tossed 1 1/3 innings of relief with a strikeout.
Despite the late lead, Pepperdine found themselves down 6-0 after one inning and 7-1 after two. Ryan Johnson played a big part in erasing the deficit as he hit home runs in the third and fourth as the Waves got even at 7-all after three and a half innings. Jacob Rebrook added a home run to put his team on top in the fifth and Cam Conley had a three-run shot in the eighth that looked like it would just serve as insurance.
In all, Pepperdine blasted five home runs. Johnson ended up with four RBIs and three runs scored with Conley adding three RBIs and both Rebrook and Connor Bradshaw knocking in two.
Waves starter Nathan Diamond didn't make it out of the first and allowed six runs on four hits with two walks and a strikeout. Davis Luikart did a nice job in relief and looked like he was going to get a win. He allowed an unearned run on two hits with a walk and a strikeout in 3 1/3 innings of work. Georges (1-2) took the loss.
NOTES
- Santa Clara has six games with double-digit runs scored and 15 with double-figure hits.
- Bronco pitching also has 19 games with double-digit strikeouts.
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The Broncos host Cal Poly Tuesday at 6 p.m.
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