Broncos Take Cardinal to Extra Innings Before Falling Short
Photo by Santa Clara Athletics.
STANFORD, Calif. — The Santa Clara University baseball team fell to Stanford University Cardinal, 6-5, in extra innings Tuesday night at Sunken Diamond in non-conference action despite building an early four-run advantage.
The Broncos (12-13) demonstrated offensive prowess early but couldn't overcome Stanford's (17-9) strong pitching in critical 10th-inning moments, and the Cardinal escaped with a hard-fought victory.
The Bronco’s first-inning lead put Stanford on their heels immediately. Three consecutive singles opened the game, with Dylan Joyce ‘25 driving in the first run. After Malcom Williams ‘25 was walked to load the bases, Johnny Luetzow ‘26 delivered a double down the left-field line, clearing the bases, and placing the Broncos in a 4-0 lead.
The Cardinal gradually worked its way back into contention. Stanford tallied a run in the fourth inning to break through against the Broncos' pitching. The fifth inning saw Stanford add two more runs as a result of RBI singles, including one unearned run that crossed the plate due to a Bronco miscue.
Stanford infielder Trevor Haskins completed the Cardinal comeback in the sixth inning with a solo home run that knotted the score at 4-4, erasing what had once been a sizable Bronco advantage.
The Broncos made a comeback in the seventh inning. Joyce reached base on a fielding error to start the frame, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and took third on a groundout. Williams then came through with an RBI single, sending a line drive over Stanford shortstop Temo Becerra to push the Broncos ahead 5-4.
Stanford would answer again, tying the contest and eventually forcing extra innings, during which both teams faced critical opportunities to claim victory.
The Broncos appeared poised to break through again in the top of the 10th inning when they loaded the bases with only one out, courtesy of two walks and a hit batter. Stanford responded by making a pivotal pitching change, bringing in Ty Uber to replace Toran O'Harran. The move proved decisive as Uber struck out back-to-back Bronco batters to escape the jam.
In the bottom half of the inning, Stanford capitalized on a fielding error that put Becerra in scoring position with one out. Pinch hitter Brandon Larson then delivered the game-winning hit two pitches later, driving the ball into the left-center field gap. The ball rolled to the wall, allowing Becerra to score easily and giving Stanford the 6-5 victory.
Missed opportunities hindered Santa Clara throughout the contest. The Broncos loaded the bases with no outs in the third inning but came away empty after three consecutive strikeouts. A runner reached scoring position in the fourth with one out, but again two strikeouts ended the threat. In total, the Broncos left 13 runners stranded, its highest total of the season and most since leaving 17 on base in an extra-innings game at the University of San Diego on May 3, 2024.
The 15 strikeouts recorded by Bronco hitters marked their highest total of the current campaign and most since also striking out 15 times at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on March 16, 2024. Seven of the 13 stranded runners were left in scoring position, highlighting the team's struggles in clutch situations.
Despite the loss, the Broncos demonstrated their ability to compete with Stanford, a recurrent baseball powerhouse, taking them to extra innings and holding leads multiple times throughout the contest. Santa Clara has a history of making a successful comeback against the Cardinal, so the team can prepare for a win when they face them again on May 6.
“The boys did a great job getting on base and the pitching staff executed pitches all night to put us in a position to win,” said Luetzow. “Unfortunately, we came up short, but are looking forward to taking this momentum after last night’s close game and the series win last weekend into conference play against Pepperdine.”