Baseball dominates Caltech in doubleheader sweep

PASADENA — The bats stayed hot for the University of La Verne baseball team as it won both games of a doubleheader at Caltech on Saturday.

Game 1: La Verne 12, Caltech 0

After a tight start to the game, the Leopards pushed across seven runs in the ninth inning to put the game away.

Not unlike Friday's series opener, Caltech's relievers couldn't keep the game close in the late innings. After a single by Zach Quinones, the Leopards drew an incredible six consecutive walks to score four runs. Ashton Edior and Woody Reyes then followed with singles to cash in two more and give the Leopards an insurmountable 12-0 lead.

Edior and Reyes each went 2-for-4 and combined for three RBI. Mark Jebbia was 1-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Javi Iniguez got the start and fired eight shutout innings while striking out six and giving up only three hits.

Jakob Thomas got the Leopards on the board in the first inning with an RBI single and La Verne added a run each in innings five through eight.

Tim Menninger was 2-for-4 for the Beavers and Harrison Jacobs was the only other Caltech hitters to get to Iniguez, going 1-for-3.

Game 2: La Verne 18, Caltech 1 (7 innings)

The Leopards scored 13 runs in the first four innings to the game away early.

Freshman Hayden Firth got the first start of his career in center field and went perfect 3-for-3 with and RBI and two runs.

Ben White and Matt Caselli each had two hits and combined for three RBI and five runs.

Seven other Leopards notched a hit each and the Leopards finished with 14 hits as a team.

Brett Early (1-0) pitched four scoreless innings in start to pick up his first win of the year. He struck out four and gave up who hits.

Daniel McDonnell and Victor Salas each pitched a scoreless inning relief.

Thomas got the Leopards going once again with a two-RBI triple in the first inning. Jebbia then sacrificed Thomas in with a fly ball to center and the Leopards grabbed a 3-0 lead.

The Leopards took advantage of Caltech starter David Watson's erratic control to add six more runs in the second inning. After Aaron Orona led off with a single, Tyler Watkins drew the first of Watson's four walks and both came around to score when Watson airmailed a throw to first in an attempt to get Caselli. Ben White then singled to drive in Caselli and the Leopards worked three straight bases on balls to push in one more. La Verne capped off the inning with sacrifice flies by Firth and Nikko Williams.

La Verne tacked on four runs in the next two innings and added five more in the sixth.

David Watson homered in the seventh for Caltech's lone run of the game.