SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Sophomore Deon Stafford, Jr., went 4-for-5 with two home runs, three runs batted in, and four runs scored, and senior John Brue drove in four runs of his own, as the Saint Joseph's baseball team came from behind for the second consecutive game to earn an 11-9 win over host Santa Clara in the Jack Gifford Memorial Tournament at Stephen Schott Stadium on Saturday night.
With the scored tied at nine, Taylor Boyd led off the top of the 10th inning with a single to left for his third hit of the game. Two batters later, Cal Jadacki singled to put runners on first and second for Stafford, who doubled to right to plate Boyd with the go-ahead run and move Jadacki to third. Brue followed with a sacrifice fly to left that scored Jadacki and doubled the Hawks' cushion.
In the bottom half of the inning, Justin Aungst recorded two quick outs before hitting pinch hitter Kyle Czaplak to bring the tying run to the plate. Aungst then sent Ryan Budnick down looking to end the game and give the Hawks their second consecutive come-from-behind victory.
Stafford put Saint Joseph's (2-1) ahead in the top of the first, taking Steven Wilson deep to left to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
The Hawks added a five-spot in the second. Marc Giacalone drew a one-out walk and moved to second on an infield single by Boyd before a sacrifice bunt left runners on second and third for Jadacki. The junior worked the count full and fouled off a pair of pitches before lacing a single to right to score both runs and make it a 3-0 game. Stafford then reached on an error to bring up Brue, whose second home run of the year double the lead to 6-0.
Santa Clara (4-3) pegged one back in the bottom of the frame on a single by T.C. Florentine. The Broncos cut further into the margin in the third, taking advantage of three doubles, a single, and an error to plate three runs and close within a pair at 6-4.
The Broncos went ahead with a three-spot in the fifth. After John Cresto led off with a triple, Stevie Berman ripped a longball to left center to tie the game at six apiece. Later in the inning, Florentine's second RBI single of the game gave SCU a 7-6 lead.
Cresto struck again in the sixth, belting a two-run home run to extend the margin to 9-6, but Stafford went deep to the opposite field to lead off the seventh and cut the deficit to 9-7.
Santa Clara had an opportunity to add to the lead in the eighth, putting a runner on third with one away, but Tim Ponto recorded consecutive strikeouts to end the threat.
That would prove critical, as the Hawks were able to tie the game a half-inning later. Stafford reached on a one-out single, advancing to second on a walk by Brue. Matt Maul followed with a single to score Stafford before Charlie Concannon singled home Brue to tie the game.
The Broncos put the winning run on third with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Aungst induced a fly ball to right from Kyle Cortopassi; the relay throw from Brue was on the money to retire pinch runner Evan Haberle and send the game to extra innings.
Aungst notched his first win of the season, allowing one hit in two innings. Travis Howard took the loss for Santa Clara, falling to 1-1 after allowing two runs on three hits in one inning of work. Neither starter figured into the decision; Wilson allowed six runs, three of them earned, in three and two-thirds, while Ryan Otero was charged with seven runs, six earned, in four innings in his Hawk debut. Ponto was solid in relief, allowing two runs on three hits to go with six strikeouts in four innings of relief.
The Hawks wrap up their weekend in California on Sunday with a contest against Utah Valley. First pitch from Schott Stadium is set for 1:00 p.m. Eastern.
