Bronco baseball takes two of three from Cal Poly Mustangs
By Blake Twisselman
BASEBALL
Cal Poly 10, Santa Clara 3
Santa Clara fell to 7-6 overall on the season by dropping the series opener last Friday in San Luis Obispo. Freshman outfielder Robert Perry went 2-for-5 at the plate and drove in all three Bronco runs, two of which came on a home run. Senior pitcher Chad Fillinger (2-2) worked six innings and picked up the loss.
Santa Clara 9, Cal Poly 6
The Broncos (8-6 overall) drove in five runs in the final inning to earn the come-from-behind victory last Saturday against the Mustangs. Sophomore infielder Michael Thompson cranked his first home run on the season, going 2-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI. Junior outfielder Nic Crosta was 3-for-4 with two RBI. Junior pitcher Anthony Rea earned the victory in relief to improve his record to 2-0 on the year.
Santa Clara 5, Cal Poly 3
Senior pitcher John Redmond threw seven solid innings and improved his record to 3-0 as the Broncos wrapped up their weekend series. Sophomore Dustin Realini had a stellar day at the plate, batting 3-for-4 with four RBI and his second home run of the season. Rea pitched the final two innings to earn his third save of the year. The Broncos will return to action this weekend to host San Jose State.
MEN'S BASKETBALL
Santa Clara 55, Portland 54
Bronco Head Coach Dick Davey earned his 200th career coaching victory and 100th West Coast Conference victory last Thursday in Portland, Ore. Junior guard Doron Perkins' 17 points, six rebounds and three steals led Santa Clara (14-14 overall, 6-7 WCC) to the conference win.
Gonzaga 80, Santa Clara 64
Gonzaga wrapped up an undefeated conference schedule and closed down the Kennel in Saturday's win over Santa Clara. Perkins and Bailey each poured in 19 points to lead the Bronco offensive attack, while Bailey added five steals. Freshman center Sean Denison had 12 points and six rebounds in the loss. The Broncos, who finished fifth in WCC regular-season play, will host USD Friday at the Leavey Center in the first round of the WCC Tournament.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Gonzaga 80, Santa Clara 67
The Broncos fell to 8-18 overall and 4-9 in conference play after last Thursday's loss at the Leavey Center. Santa Clara took a two-point advantage into the intermission, but was unable to hold on. Senior guard Whitney Sutak led all Broncos with 15 points and five rebounds while freshman guard Ashley Graham had 11 points
Portland 83, Santa Clara 73
Senior forward Jennie Rondel concluded her regular-season career with her first ever double-double, posting 19 points and 11 rebounds in last Saturday's loss against the Pilots. Graham and freshman forward Jenni Gottschalk each scored 15 points, while Thomas chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds. The Broncos received the sixth seed in conference, and will host seventh-seeded San Francisco in the first round of the WCC Tournament this Thursday at the Leavey Center.
MEN'S TENNIS
Santa Clara 5, Loyola Marymount 2
The Broncos improved to 4-6 overall and 1-1 in conference after last Saturday's victory over the Lions. Santa Clara won two of the three doubles matches to earn the doubles point and won four of the six singles matches. Senior Gernot Fischer breezed to a 6-1, 6-4 victory at the No. 1 singles position.
Santa Clara 5, Saint Mary's 2
The Broncos earned their second straight conference victory to improve their record to 5-6 overall and 2-1 in WCC action. Santa Clara swept all three doubles matches. Fischer, junior Francisco Zepponi and freshman Bobby Rasmussen claimed straight-set victories. The team will return to the courts this Friday for a home match against Boise State.
WOMEN'S TENNIS
Santa Clara 6, Saint Mary's 1
The Broncos (4-4 overall, 3-0 WCC) remained undefeated in conference action with last Friday's home victory over the Gaels. After dropping the doubles point, the Broncos rallied by sweeping all six singles matches. Junior Janalle Kaloi fought hard for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win at the No. 1 singles spot and sophomore Casey Knutson won her No. 3 singles match by a score of 6-2, 4-6, 7-5.
UC Santa Barbara 4, Santa Clara 3
Santa Clara swept all three doubles matches, but they dropped four of the six singles matches to lose a close non-conference match-up last Saturday in Santa Clara. The Broncos earned straight-set singles victories from freshmen Kelly Leathers and Kimberly Daniel. Leathers won her No. 4 singles match 6-2, 7-5 and Daniel won her No. 5 singles match by a convincing score of 6-0, 6-3.
Santa Clara 4, Davidson 3
The Broncos defeated Davidson College 4-3 to even their season record at 5-5. Santa Clara won four of six singles matches, led by No. 1 Kaloi, who also won her doubles match.
WOMEN'S WATER POLO
Santa Clara 14, Sonoma State 5
The Broncos evened their record at 8-8 in last Sunday's victory at Leavey Pool. Junior Catherine Flynn led the Broncos with four goals, while freshman Katie Radvanyi chipped in three goals and three steals. Sophomore Kathleen Hamm scored two goals and had two steals.
SOFTBALL
Santa Clara 7, San Jose State 1
Santa Clara 6, San Jose State 0
The Bronco softball team swept a doubleheader Wednesday over the San Jose Spartans in the Rivalry series. Jaime Forman-Lau picked up the win in the first game and Liz Courter picked up the the win in the encore. The offense was led by junior outfielder Jessica Clee who went 5-for-5 with a two-run home run.