Baseball

Santa Clara Makes Early Lead Hold Up in 5-3 Win Over Sacramento State

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -
The Santa Clara baseball team got it's final weekend of the 2007 season off on the right foot Saturday afternoon with a 5-3 victory over the Sacramento State Hornets in Sacramento. The Broncos scored the first five runs of the contest and held the advantage from there, positioning themselves for a sweep of the two-game series Sunday.

Jon Karcich carried the biggest stick for the Broncos Saturday, doubling twice and driving in three runs, while Gabe Alcantar, Faulkner, and Matt Long all had a pair of hits as well.

Nate Garcia struck out six and allowed only three runs while scattering seven hits over eight innings of work to earn his fifth win of the year, and fellow freshman Steve Kalush struck out the side in the ninth to earn his third save.

The Broncos got on the board for the first time in the top of the second inning Saturday, as Bacon reached on a fielding error by Hornets starter Mick Joyce, followed by singles by Alcantar and Evan LeBlanc that loaded the bases. Karcich then hit the first of his two doubles, this one down the left-field line, driving in Bacon and Alcantar for the early 2-0 lead.

Santa Clara tacked on two more runs the next inning, as Faulkner led things off with a single, stole second base, and came home on Tommy Medica's base hit to center. Medica, after himself stealing second and advancing to third on Ryan Conan's fly ball to center, scored on Alcantar's sacrifice fly to right field.

Joyce would only last the first three innings of the contest, giving up four runs, three of them earned, on six hits. He fell to 4-6 on the year.

Alcantar would account for SCU's fifth run, singling to right and stealing second with two outs, then scoring on Karcich's double to left to put the Broncos in front by a 5-0 count.

The Hornets finally got to Garcia in their half of the fifth, as a two-out single from pinch-hitter Ryan Blair scored Montana Dye from third. They would get two more in the eighth on Gabe Jacobo's two-run homer, making it 5-3.

But Kalush would come on for the ninth inning, and the freshman made quick work of the Hornets, striking out the only three batters he faced to preserve SCU's win.