SAN FRANCISCO — The University of San Francisco baseball team takes its six-game winning streak on the road this weekend for a three-game West Coast Conference series at South Bay rival Santa Clara, starting Friday.
 
GAME #27-29 INFORMATION
Opponent: Santa Clara (11-15, 4-5 WCC)
Site: Santa Clara, Calif. (Stephen Schott Stadium)
 
Friday, April 9, 2021 – 3 p.m. PDT
Probable Starters: RHP Landen Bourassa (2-2, 4.91 ERA) vs. TBA
Live Video: bit.ly/3d1wCX0
Live Stats: bit.ly/3uDE40l
 
Saturday, April 10, 2021 – 1 p.m. PDT
Probable Starters: RHP Josh Mollerus (0-2, 7.85 ERA) vs. TBA
Live Video: bit.ly/3s62aPR
Live Stats: bit.ly/3d31Lt6
 
Sunday, April 11, 2021 – Noon PDT
Probable Starters: RHP Grant Nechak (0-1, 5.88 ERA) vs. TBA
Live Video: bit.ly/3tiSqCU
Live Stats: bit.ly/3rZztE4
 
ABOUT THE DONS

• San Francisco has won six straight games, its longest winning streak in more than three years, since also winning six in a row on March 18-30, 2018. The streak includes USF's first series sweep over Loyola Marymount in 10 years, its first series win on the road at BYU since the Cougars joined the WCC in 2012, and a midweek non-conference win over San Jose State, its fourth win against the Spartans in the teams' last five matchups.
   
• The Dons have scored seven or more runs in seven of their last nine games. They've hit a home run in seven of the last nine contests and have had at least three extra-base hits in seven of their last nine. They've tallied nine or more hits in six of their last nine games and drawn five or more walks in six of their last nine.
   
• USF pitchers have allowed four runs or less in their last five games, something they did just five times in their previous 21 games, and hadn't done at all for 11 straight games (since March 5). Dons pitchers have also racked up nine or more strikeouts in five of the last nine contests.

ABOUT SANTA CLARA
The Broncos (11-15, 4-5 WCC) have won four of their last five games with back-to-back WCC series wins at Portland and at home last weekend versus BYU. Before the recent five-game stretch, they had lost seven of nine and had started the season 7-14. The Broncos are 5-7 at home in 2021, having lost four of their last six at Stephen Schott Stadium heading into this weekend.
 
Tony Boetto leads Santa Clara with a .317 batting average. Mike Bowes (.286 average) and Coleman Brigman (.250) both have a team-high 26 hits. Jake MacNichols leads the WCC with eight home runs and has a team-high 20 RBIs. Holden Bernhardt has been the Broncos' best arm, posting a 1.69 ERA in eight appearances (one start) with a save. Travis Howard has made a team-high 10 appearances and carries a 5-to-1 strikeouts-to-walks ratio along with an 0-3 record and 5.40 ERA.
 
CLIMBING THE RANKS
Alex Pham is inching his way up the career record book at USF. His 191 career strikeouts currently stand 10th all-time on The Hilltop, and he's only three Ks away from the No. 9 spot – Abe Bobb (2010-14) with 194. He has 48 strikeouts already in 2021, more than halfway to his single-season career high of 90 in 2019.
 
NEED FOR SPEED
San Francisco stole eight bases as a team Tuesday versus San Jose State, the most it has stolen in a single game in at least 10 seasons (since 2012). Darius Foster tied the USF single-game record for stolen bases with four swipes, Jack Winkler added a career-high three stolen bases, and Jacob Westerman added a steal. The Dons are among the nation's top-30 and lead the WCC with 37 steals this year.
 
COMING UP
San Francisco travels to first-place San Diego next weekend for an important WCC series starting on April 16. Fans can find live coverage links on USFDons.com.