Nate Rodriguez, Sports Information Intern
LA VERNE, CA – On Ben Hines Field at the University of La Verne, the Leopards jumped out to an early lead and never looked back - riding behind left-hander Ethan Galindo's 7.1 quality innings to a 9-4 win in game one against the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags.
In today's series that started a winner-take-all series to determine the 2023 regular season SCIAC championship and the top-seed in the SCIAC postseason tournament, Galindo shut down the #17-ranked Stags. He commanded the corners of the plate, attacked hitters early, and induced enough soft contact over 7+ innings to earn the win. The lefty allowed just one earned run.
Despite three Leopard errors, La Verne turned multiple inning-ending double plays and played spectacularly from the outfield to keep the Stags quiet. Second baseman Chase Siffert was quick around the second base bag to turn bang-bang twin killings, and Cameron Slessor made a spectacular diving catch in left field.
First baseman Noah Garcia started La Verne's scoring in the bottom of the first inning with an opposite-field RBI double, scoring Slessor. Two more scored on Malachi Francois' high chopper that skipped away from the CMS shortstop. After Siffert's RBI double in the second, the Leopards led 4-0.
Shortstop Ryan Vosika placed a perfect sacrifice bunt down in the sixth inning to put a pair of runners in scoring position for third baseman Aiden Salcedo. Salcedo singled up the middle, a hard chopper that catapulted off the pitcher's glove, to score two. Francois and Voskia both singled home a run in the seventh, and catcher Nathan Perry doubled home the Leopards' ninth run in the bottom half of the eighth inning.
The Leopards travel one last time in the 2023 regular season tomorrow, 5/6, for a doubleheader against the Stags at Pomona-Pitzer. With just one win, the Leopards would clinch sole possession of the SCIAC regular season championship, the 22 nd in school history. Game one's first pitch is scheduled for 11 a.m.
(photo py Joseph Ceniceros)
