Weekend Recap: Broncos Baseball & Softball

Baseball

Nick Chow (38) ’29 pitched his first collegiate game Monday against Cal. (Braden Auerbach for The Santa Clara)

Santa Clara baseball had a strong response performance in their opening weekend, with standout individual efforts recognized by the first WCC awards of the season. 

The Broncos defeated Cal 10-4 to earn a non-conference series split on Monday. Although Cal opened the game with a leadoff home run, the Broncos responded and held the Bears scoreless until the eighth inning. Max Ross’ ’26 three-run homer in a five-run third inning marked a turning point for the Broncos, giving them control of the game. Ross, Ben Cleary ’27 and John Luetzow ’26 each recorded three hits as the Broncos capitalized on Cal’s defensive errors. 

Senior infielder Thomas Ferroggiaro and junior right-hander Max Bayles ‘27 earned the first WCC Rawlings Player and Pitcher of the Week awards, respectively, of the season. 

Ferroggiaro reached base nine times in three games at Cal, increasing his 21-game reached-base streak. Ferraggiaro posted an impressive .545 batting average and .643 on-base percentage. This is his first WCC Player of the Week award of his career.

Bayles had four shutout innings and five strikeouts in Santa Clara’s 13-2 win over Cal on Friday. This is his fourth career WCC Pitcher of the Week award.

Softball

Santa Clara softball lost to No. 21 Washington 0-13 on Sunday at the Santa Clara Softball Stadium. (Braden Auerbach for The Santa Clara)

Santa Clara University softball had an eventful weekend at the Silicon Valley Classic Tournament, with a historic win over the University of California, Berkeley on Saturday taking the spotlight.

The Broncos 8-4 win over the Golden Bears on Saturday was their first in program history. Previously the Broncos had been 0-83 against the Bears since the two teams began competing against each other in 1980. The Broncos set the tone right out of the gate, scoring four runs in the opening frame against Cal’s starter Taylor Peacock. 

The top of Santa Clara’s lineup kicked off the offense, with Cairah Curran ’27, Rebecca Rubio ’27 and Hazyl Gray ’26 combining to go 7-for-10 with six runs batted in. The middle order continued this momentum by driving seven runs. Santa Clara’s Ellison Schroeder ’29 threw a seven-inning complete game, with nine strikeouts in her first career win.

Santa Clara went on to complete a Saturday sweep, defeating UC Santa Barbara in a 9-1 mercy-ruling. The Broncos scored three runs in each of the first three innings to create a commanding lead. Cari Ferguson ’28 threw a complete game, the fourth of the season for her, with six strikeouts.

This bounceback was crucial after the Broncos’ setback losses to both Utah and Cal on Friday, 3-0 and 8-2 respectively. Utah’s pitcher Hailey Maestretti threw an impressive two-hit shutout to keep the Bronco offense at bay. Cal broke the 2-2 tie in the seventh, scoring six runs.  

Unfortunately, the Broncos were not able to successfully carry Saturday’s momentum into Sunday’s game against the University of Washington, where they lost 13-0. The Huskies managed to hit five home runs and kept the Broncos to just two hits in the game. 

Although the weekend had many ups and downs for the Broncos, the historic breakthrough win against Cal provided a glimpse of what this team is capable of achieving.