WHITTIER, Calif. – The University of La Verne baseball team amassed 13 runs on 19 hits to beat Whittier, 13-7, on Friday at the Rio Hondo College Field. The win extends La Verne's winning streak to six games.

The Leopards had a hit in every inning but one and hit nearly .500 as a team, going 19 for 40. In the one inning it did not get a hit, La Verne still managed to score a run on four hit batters, a walk and a sacrifice fly in the 6^th.

The hits came early and often from La Verne. After spotting the Poets a 2-0 lead in the top of the 1^st, the Leopards scored four in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead right back. Joe Winterburn, Ben White and Pedro Espinoza had consecutive RBI singles and White came around to score later in the inning on an error by the shortstop.

Whittier tied the game at 5-5 in the 5^th inning on a three-run homerun by Julian Barzilli to deep left field, but once again, the Leopards answered immediately the next half inning. Winterburn whipped a two-out double to left center to score two, White followed with another double over the head of the center fielder and Espinoza singled up the middle to give the Leopards a 9-5 lead.

Barzilli homered again in the 7^th, but the Poets couldn't muster anything else. The Leopards sealed it in the 8^th with three more runs on an RBI single by White and a fielding error by the second baseman.

Four Leopards had three or more hits, with Jared Hovsepian leading the way with a 4-for-4 performance. Winterburn, White and Espinoza each had three hits and combined for eight RBI.

Michael Reyes was 2 for 4 and scored three runs from the nine spot.

Barzilli finished 3 for 5 with two homeruns, five RBI and three runs for Whittier. Five other Poets had a hit each.

Phil Schick earned a second win in a row on the mound and Brett Early was nearly perfect in the final two innings, giving up just one hit and striking out two.

La Verne heads to the campus of Whittier College tomorrow to complete the three-game series. The first game starts at 11 a.m.