Box Score Stockton, Calif. – The Pacific Tigers couldn't quite finish the sweep of the Santa Clara Broncos Sunday, losing 3-2 in a pitcher's duel after threatening late. The loss puts Pacific at 10-11 in the WCC, still good for seventh place in the ten-team league.
Jake Jenkins improved his ERA over his last five starts to 1.20 with his five innings of work today. He left the game with the Tigers down by one run as Santa Clara scored three runs on him, only one of which was earned. Unfortunately, Jenkins would be tagged with the loss as those early three runs were enough to give Santa Clara the win.
Justin Giovannoni took over in the sixth and went 1.2 before three walks in the seventh brought Jordon Gonzalez to the mound. Gonzalez was perfect in his 2.1 innings of work, retiring every man he faced.
It was a lefty for the Broncos today, with Jason Seever starting. Seever managed to work into the eighth but was replaced by the WCC's leader in saves in Max Kuhns when the Tigers put men on first and third with no outs.
Kuhns got out of the tough situation with some excellent pitching and a bit of help from the umpires, earning his 13th save of the year. Seever is now 6-2 on the season with his win today.
J.J. Wagner extend his hitting streak to seven games with a double to left center in front of the bullpen in the first inning with one out. It was Wagner's sixth extra-base hit of the streak: he has five doubles and a homer as well as seven runs in those games.
The Broncos put men in scoring position in each of the first two innings, each time with just one out. Jenkins shut them out in the first but Santa Clara drew blood in the second with an RBI single. A second run scored on the play as the ball was mishandled in the outfield, making it 2-0. Jenkins got two flyouts to end the second.
Louis Mejia singled in the second to give him hits in every game this series but was stranded as the Tigers couldn't string together any more offense.
Santa Clara got another run in the third, however. The leadoff man singled, then was erased on a fielder's choice. However, a passed ball and Santa Clara's third stolen base of the game put the runner on third with one out and he came around to score on a routine groundout.
Hitting .293 in WCC play, J.P. Yakel started the third with a single. Unfortunately, Pacific hit into a double play to erase Yakel and the promising inning.
Danny Mayer kept his hitting streak and on-base streak alive when he singled to start the fourth inning. Mayer, who has hit safely 15 games in a row and reached base safely in 28 straight, got behind the ball and hit a line drive into left for an easy single.
The 19th walk in WCC play for Gio Brusa gave the Tigers two baserunners with no outs still. That total leads the WCC, as does Brusa's .531 OBP.
Nate Verlin drove in Mayer and kept the attack going with a full-count double that bounced down the line just inside the first base bag. It gave Verlin his 18th RBI in the last 20 games as Mayer was able to coast home for his 44th run of the year, the most since Mike Walker and Nick Longmire each scored 49 in 2010.
Verlin has also hit safely in 13 of the last 14 games thanks to his double. In that time, he has hit .393 with seven runs and 11 RBI.
The Tigers cut the deficit to one run with a Lucas Halstead sacrifice fly that was his 15th RBI in the last 15 games as well as his fifth of the series. Pacific couldn't bring Verlin in from third with one out and had to settle for a 3-2 deficit through four.
Giovannoni gave Pacific a perfect sixth inning as the pitching did everything it could to keep the game within easy striking distance for the Tigers. He walked the first man he faced in the seventh on a series of borderline pitches but got right back into the mix of things thanks to Kevin Sandri. The freshman shortstop fielded a slow roller that was just barely outside of Wagner's range and threw across from afar to get the first out.
The lead runner took second on that play, then moved up to third on a wild pitch. Giovannoni walked another man to put men of the corners. As the next batter entered the box, Giovannoni tried a pickoff move and got the runner on first as he broke for second early for a 1-4 caught stealing. Giovannoni walked one more man thanks to a rapidly shrinking strike zone before Gonzalez came on.
Another outstanding play by Sandri ending the seventh. Sandri ranged to his left in a dead sprint to field the ball, then leapt into the air as he turned and threw to second to get the force and end it for Pacific's fourth straight shutout inning.
Halstead showed off his power with a double that hit off the highest point of the wall in the stadium that just so happened to be the deepest part of the field as well, just above the 405 sign in left-center. It gave Halstead seven games in a row with an extra-base hit. During that hitting streak, Halstead is hitting .385 with five runs, five doubles, three homers, and eight RBI.
Despite falling behind 0-2 to start his pinch-hit appearance, Joey Mejia got on base by drawing a seven-pitch walk with one out. The Tigers opted for speed on the basepaths and pinch-ran for Mejia immediately, putting McKay Koissian in the game. That move made no difference though as the very next batter hit into a double play and ended the inning.
Gonzalez struck out two in the eighth and pitched a perfect frame. The Broncos managed just one hit after the fourth inning and none once the Tiger relievers took over in the sixth.
Sandri singled to center on a flyball that dropped fast enough to give the centerfielder no chance. It put the leadoff man on again for the Tigers. Wagner's flyball dropped in the exact same place for another single. Sandri made a great read on the ball too and manage to make it to third.
Once again, the fluctuations of the strike zone hurt Pacific as Brusa was called out looking on a pitch that nearly hit him for the second out. That killed the rally and gifted Santa Clara an easy out from the dangerous situation. Verlin's flyout that would have been the second out was deep enough to score the run but instead ended the eighth.
The Tigers got exactly what they needed to try and start a rally in the ninth when Halstead singled to center. Jimmy Boras pinch-ran and was moved over by a Mejia sac bunt. Koissian then grounded out, putting Boras on third. Pacific once again couldn't get the one hit they needed to tie it as J.P. Yakel's liner over the shortstop was snagged on an impressive leap to end the game.
Pacific will play host to the San Diego Toreros in WCC play this upcoming weekend. The series will start with a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 3:30 pm. The second game will start half an hour after the first game ends and will feature fireworks after. The series concludes Sunday at 1:00 pm with Pacific's senior day. Tickets for all home games are available online.
Make sure to follow Pacific baseball on Twitter with the username @PacificBaseball and on Instagram at pacificbaseball.
