FAYETTEVILLE — Santa Clara hit and ran all over Arizona while Cade Pilchard handcuffed the Wildcats for six innings in a 9-3 victory in Saturday’s late elimination game at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional.
Efrain Manzo, Michael O’Hara and Eamonn Lance hit home runs and the Broncos stole seven bases before an announced crowd of 10,228 at Baum-Walker Stadium that was considerably less than that after a postponement of just over six hours.
The Broncos (36-19) rapped out 11 hits en route to their first NCAA Tournament victory since winning a pair in their last appearance in 1997.
Santa Clara, cheered on by University of Arkansas fans who made Hog calls during big moments, advanced to tonight’s elimination game scheduled for 8 p.m. against the loser of Game 4 between host Arkansas and TCU, which is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Arizona (33-26), one of the last teams granted an at-large berth by the selection committee with an RPI of 46, finished 0-2 at the regional.
Pilchard (4-1), in his fifth start of the season, dominated the Wildcats on a one-hitter through six innings before running out of steam.
Emilio Corona pulled a home run over the left-field fence to open the seventh, then Mason White singled up the middle to end his night after 90 pitches. He allowed just the 1 run on 3 hits with no walks and 4 strikeouts.
Side-arming reliever Jared Feikes picked up his first save with three innings of relief. He mowed down the first seven batters he faced but allowed a Corona double and White’s 10th home run of the year in the bottom of the ninth.
The Broncos got their leadoff man on base in each of the first three innings and cashed in those opportunities with runs against Aiden May (5-3).
JonJon Berring hit a high chop just inside the third base bag to open the game and the ball glanced off the glove of Tony Bullard for a hit. Berring moved up as Dawson Brigman worked a walk and O’Hara was hit by a pitch. He scored on a passed ball.
Malcolm Williams opened the second inning with a weak-contact grounder toward third and easily beat out the throw. Williams stole second base and came all the way around to score when Bullard threw wildly to first on a Berring ground ball.
The Broncos third run came a little easier, as Manzo took a 1-2 offering the opposite way for a home run over the wall in right field leading off the third.
Manzo’s 18th home run of the season and second of the regional pulled him within one of the school’s single-season record of 19 held by Gene Delyon (1974).
Meanwhile, Pilchard was mowing down Wildcats left and right. The lanky 6-4, 215-pounder allowed only one base runner through three innings, nine-hole hitter Garen Caulfield’s two-out single in the third.
The Wildcats managed a pair of two-out base runners in the fourth, on Kiko Romero’s hit by pitch and an error on Corona’s ground ball to third. Pilchard struck out White to escape the jam and showed his excitement while exiting the mound.
O’Hara’s fourth home run of the season, a two-run shot to right, extended the Broncos’ lead to 6-0. Lance his his second home run of the regional and his eighth of the year in the seventh.