Baseball Reverses Usual Ways
By Sydney Sanchez
With the weather holding up this past weekend in Ohio, the Broncos took advantage of the opportunity. The Santa Clara baseball team won two out of three games against the University of Cincinnati despite being on the tail end of a less-than-stellar season.
"The team went in with the mindset that it (was) a new weekend," said sophomore first baseman T.J. Braff. "We wanted to put the rest of the season in the past and play some good baseball against Cincinnati."
The Broncos were able to do just that.
In the first game of a doubleheader this past Saturday, the Broncos found themselves in a tight game through the first six innings.
Although the Broncos mustered three consecutive singles in the top of the sixth to close the gap to one run, the Bearcats responded by scoring three runs of their own. The Broncos lost the game by a final score of 7-3.
Despite the loss, Santa Clara's offense was ignited by Casey Munoz. The junior outfielder went 3 for 4 and scored one run.
The second game of the day took a turn in the Broncos' favor, despite another close game.
Starting pitcher Mike Couch had a strong outing on the mound, not allowing a run until the sixth inning. That run would prove to be the only score the Bearcats would garner all game.
Sophomore C.J. Jacobe hit his first collegiate home run. His two-run shot put the Broncos ahead of the Bearcats, and Santa Clara eventually took the game by a final score of 3-1.
Following the Saturday split, the Broncos were looking to take the series on Sunday.
After Cincinnati jumped out to an early lead in the second inning, the Broncos tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the fifth. Santa Clara ran away with the game with an impressive five runs in the top of the sixth inning, putting the game away by a final score of 6-1. The Broncos' win on Sunday ended their weekend with two wins and one loss.
"Coach Ryan Leake made it a point that (the next few games are) going to be the seniors' last times playing baseball, so everybody wanted to send them out on a good note," said Braff.
With an overall record of 13-37, this past weekend's games are certainly a bright spot in the season.
After the successful weekend, Braff said Monday's practice "was a little more relaxed, and the guys were having fun. The plane ride home was much more fun than usual too."
The Broncos will look to end the regular season on a strong note with only three games remaining. The team will finish West Coast Conference play this weekend in Los Angeles against the Lions of Loyola Marymount University.
Contact Sydney Sanchez at ssanchez@scu.edu.