LA VERNE, Calif. — Jakob Thomas went 3-for-3 at the plate with a grand slam and Sean Holt and Ethan Fulsher combined for a shutout as the La Verne baseball team beat Caltech 17-0 on Friday at Ben Hines Field.

La Verne (5-4, 3-1 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) exploded for nine runs in the first inning to put the game away early. Thomas got things going with a double and promptly came around to score as Christopher Ligot pushed a triple to right in the next at-bat. The Leopards took advantage of three Caltech errors to go up 5-0 and Thomas capped off the big inning with a grand slam over the left field wall.

The Leopards added a run in the third inning on a fielder's choice RBI by Christopher Peres and Thomas laced a two-run single in the bottom of the fourth to give the Leopards a 13-0 lead.

La Verne kept pouring it on as it pushed across four more runs in the sixth inning.

The Leopards totaled 10 hits on the day and received three pinch-hit base hits from the bench. Thomas finished six RBI.

Sean Holt (1-0) got the start and earned his first collegiate win, tossing 5.2 innings of shutout ball while giving up just one hit. Fulsher took over with two outs in the sixth inning and finished the game, allowing one hit.

The Leopards return to action tomorrow at Caltech for a doubleheader.