LA VERNE, CA — The Leopards jumped out to a 4-0 first inning lead but the Centenary Gents rallied late to take a 10-7 win over the University of La Verne baseball team Sunday afternoon.
Brandon Shiota finished 3-4 at the plate with a pair of RBIs and a run. Patrick Keller, Christian Killian, and Jacob Freedman each finished with one RBI.
Trailing 7-6 in the seventh, the Leopards took advantage of an interference call on the Gents' third baseman that sent Tanner Siffert home to tie the game.
But Centenary's Gary Hewitt came through with the bases juiced and hit a base-clearing triple down the left-field line to give his squad the three-run advantage.
Connor Cudd picked up the win for the Gent's pitching five innings in relief. Brenden Bergen took the loss for the Leopards.
The Leopards plated the first run of the game off a fielding error by the Gents sent Adam Santa Cruz home.
After a lengthy rain delay, La Verne picked up right where it left off and immediately sent two more runners home after a Shiota double to right center. Freedman stepped up next added another run for La Verne when he singled in Shiota.
La Verne added another run in the third but the Gents responded in the next half inning. Centenary took advantage of a Leopard error and with two outs sent five runs to the plate to tie the game 5-5.
The Leopards retook the lead in the bottom half of the inning when Keller was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. But Centenary retook the lead in the next inning off a pair of RBI singles.
Season Impact
The Leopards move to 6-9 overall and Centenary improves to 9-4.
Next Game
The Leopards continue their stretch of nonconference games on Friday, when they host Whitman a 2 p.m.