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Box Score 1 BERKELEY, Calif. — The Santa Clara University baseball team led in game one and rallied to tie it in the ninth inning of game two, but host California escaped with two walk-off victories Saturday to sweep a non-conference doubleheader from the Broncos, 5-4 and 4-3, at Stu Gordon Stadium.
 
Thomas Ferroggiaro (4 for 8), Ben Cleary (3 for 8) and Johnny Luetzow (3 for 6) had hits in both games for the Broncos. Santa Clara (1-2) got seven total innings from its two starting pitchers on the day – Jace Gilmore and Jackson Cook – with only one run allowed between the two of them and eight strikeouts in two no-decisions.
 
GAME ONE


Hideki Prather was a one-man wrecking crew in game one for the Golden Bears (2-1), almost single-handedly powering California’s come-from-behind effort after it trailed 4-1 through 4 1/2 innings. His two-out, two-run single in the fifth cut the deficit to 4-3. He then led off the eighth with a double and later scored the tying run to make it 4-4. In the ninth, Prather delivered a walk-off RBI double on the second pitch he saw, driving in Daniel Murillo, who had doubled ahead of him.

 
Prather finished 4 for 5 with three RBIs, two doubles and a run scored. Murillo set the table all game, going 3 for 4 with a double and two runs scored from the spot ahead of him in the order. Kevin Jeon also recorded a multi-hit game, going 2 for 3 with a double, an RBI and a walk.

 
Santa Clara scored first, as it did in Friday’s opener, plating two runs in the third with small ball. Two leadoff singles and a double steal put runners in scoring position with no outs. Ben Cleary lifted a sacrifice fly, and Mateo Garcia followed with an RBI groundout to give the Broncos a 2-0 lead.

 
Cleary added an RBI double in the fourth to push it to 3-0, but California answered with a leadoff home run from Carl Schmidt in the bottom half. Santa Clara regained the three-run lead in the fifth after a California error and more small ball. Johnny Luetzow singled to lead off, moved to second on a groundout, advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw from reliever Otto Espinoza, and scored on Luke Devine’s third sacrifice fly of the series to make it 4-1.

 
Ferroggiaro went 3 for 4 with two runs scored, a walk and two stolen bases from the leadoff spot. Will Anderson collected his first two hits as a Bronco, going 2 for 4. Max Ross finished 2 for 3 with a walk and hit-by-pitch. Luetzow went 2 for 5 with a run scored and a stolen base.

GAME TWO


It was Santa Clara’s turn to come from behind in the nightcap. The Broncos needed two runs in the top of the ninth to extend the game, and got them in dramatic fashion. With two outs and a runner on, Camden Sos launched his first home run as a Bronco over the center field wall to tie the game at 3-3.

 
California put together another escape performance in the bottom of the ninth. Top-of-the-order hitter Jacob French drew a two-out walk, stole second and scored when Murillo — who had crossed the plate for the winning run in the opener — drove him home for the walk-off win.

 
The Broncos scored first for the third straight game, scratching across a run in the fourth to take a 1-0 lead. Ferroggiaro led off with a double, and Cleary delivered a two-strike RBI single up the middle three pitches later.

 
Freshmen Hunter Fujimoto and Cook made their first career starts in game two. Fujimoto started in center field and batted leadoff, while Cook took the mound. Cook struck out four over three shutout innings, allowing one hit and one walk. Tyler Alleman added two shutout innings of relief, and Josh Johnson struck out two in a scoreless seventh. Six Broncos pitchers combined to strike out 11 Cal batters in the nightcap.

COMING UP


The series finale is tentatively scheduled for noon Sunday at Santa Clara’s Stephen Schott Stadium. Stay tuned to the Broncos’ social media channels and SantaClaraBroncos.com for schedule updates.