Berring's Walk-Off Slam Seals Series Sweep for Baseball - Santa Clara University (2024)

Don Jedlovec, Santa Clara Athletics

• Box Score

Game Recap: Baseball | 2/25/2024 6:42:00 PM

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Who else?

The script was written Sunday afternoon, and Santa Clara University baseball's JonJon Berring was the right person for the role.

The Academy Awards aren't for another two weeks – but give him an Oscar.

Berring stepped up Sunday and delivered yet another outstanding performance, this time with a two-out, two-strike, walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth to send Santa Clara to a 10-9 victory over UMBC, putting the brightest of accents on a huge come-from-behind win to finish off a three-game sweep at Stephen Schott Stadium.

Berring was named National Hitter of the Week by the NCBWA on Tuesday, but he entered Sunday's game with only one hit in the series. He changed that with a 4-for-6 showing at the plate, including two doubles and that magical ninth-inning long ball. He had an extra-base hit in each of the final three innings of the game, the last one being the biggest of them all.

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— Santa Clara Baseball (@SCU_Baseball) February 25, 2024

Berring was due up seventh in the bottom of the ninth, so it was going to take some work from the bottom of the order to get him up. The Broncos (4-2) trailed 9-5 after UMBC (0-3) had added three insurance runs in the top half. The rally didn't get off on the best foot after two of the first three Broncos batters recorded outs. But Dylan Joyce pushed a double into the right-center field gap in between those at-bats, and Santa Clara had life.

UMBC lefty reliever Ben Craig (0-1) had labored for 2 2/3 innings already, surrendering five runs in the seventh but still holding on to a lead for the Retrievers. And now at this point, with Craig already throwing over 55 pitches in relief, and UMBC having spent 13 of their 16 pitchers to that point in the series… the stage was set.

Craig hit Jordan Lewis in the foot with an inside breaking ball, then surrendered a single on the fourth pitch to Ben Steck, putting the tying run on deck. Freshman second baseman Ben Cleary drew a five-pitch walk from the ninth-spot in the order, bringing up Berring with the bases loaded and a chance to win it.

Berring took a called strike to start the at-bat, then watched a ball outside, a sweeping slider that went away from him in the lefty on lefty matchup. He smashed the third pitch of the at-bat down the right field line and over the home clubhouse, rousing the crowd for a moment.

He then stepped back into the box, tossed aside his elbow guard that was inhibiting him, and launched the next pitch over the right field wall.

Santa Clara starter Cole Kitchen delivered an excellent performance of his own, throwing six innings and only allowing one unearned run in the no-decision. He struck out three and scattered three hits.

It took three Santa Clara relievers to get through the seventh after Kitchen departed, as the Retrievers jumped on the Broncos' bullpen to the tune of five insurance runs, turning a 1-0 game into a 6-0 advantage.

Santa Clara trailed early for the third straight day after UMBC took a 1-0 lead in the first inning. That hasn't been a problem for the Broncos, who scored 11 unanswered on Saturday and 12 unanswered on Friday. But for all the threats the SCU offense put together, it couldn't get that last clutch hit to push any runs across, as Retrievers pitchers Sam Downs and Robert Dorn shut out the Broncos for six innings.

Santa Clara had stranded seven runners in scoring position and nine overall until a five-run rally in the bottom of the seventh. The Broncos answered UMBC's five-run outburst in the seventh with one of their own, all started by Berring. Coleman Brigman and Joyce both singled home runs, while Malcolm Williams and Jordan Lewis brought home runs on back-to-back RBI groundouts.

Redshirt Freshman Will Pappas (1-0) earned his first career victory in his first career appearance. Pappas came in and settled things down while UMBC was still wreaking havoc on the Broncos' bullpen in the ninth, getting a fly out and a strikeout to strand two runners and stop the rally, giving Santa Clara a chance to rally in the ninth.

The Broncos next hit the road for a four-game road trip that starts locally on Tuesday. Santa Clara heads across town to take on San Jose State at 3:05 p.m. Tuesday, then travels to the Pacific Northwest for a three-game series at Washington in Seattle starting Friday. Fans can find all live coverage links on SantaClaraBroncos.com.