Photo by Tracy Maple, Cal Lutheran Athletics
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The La Verne baseball team was sent home from the 2017 SCIAC Postseason Tournament with a 8-7 loss to Chapman on Saturday morning at Ullman Stadium.
The Leopards finish the season 21-20 overall. Chapman goes to 26-13 and stays alive in the tournament.
The teams traded runs all game but Chapman had the final laugh.
With one out in the top of the ninth inning, Christian Conci started a Panther rally with an infield single and Jarod Penniman poked a two-out bloop single to right field to plate Conci, giving the Panthers 8-7 lead.
The Leopards got a runner on in the bottom of the ninth as Dylan Lowenstein got hit by a pitch with one out but Brandon Vogel fouled out and Andrew Douglas flied out to center to end the game.
La Verne jumped out to an early lead as Justin Wright led off the bottom of the first with a single and Jakob Thomas brought him with a single.
Chapman took its first lead of the game when Tyler Cook hit a 2-run home run in the top of the third and extended the lead to 3-1 when Gavin Blodget came up with a 2-out RBI single in the top of the fourth.
La Verne responded in the bottom of the fourth. Nicholas Michaels ledd off the inning with a triple and Brandon Campbell was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners. Lowenstein and Isaiah Cruz hit into outs but Andrew Douglas drew walk to load the bases and Justin Wright laced one to center to tie the game at 3-3. Grant Thompson follwed with a walk to load the bases again and Andrew Douglas scored on a wild pitch to give the Leopards a 4-3 lead.
The Panthers look the lead again in the top of the sixth on a pair of run-scoring singles by Joe Jimenez and Cook, but Thomas came through with a double to score Thompson in the bottom half of the inning to tie it back up at 5-5.
Chapman went up again in the eighth as Cook and Jared Love back-to-back doubles to go up 7-5 but La Verne once again had an answer in the bottom half of the inning. Thompson drew a 2-out walk, Thomas scored Thompson with another double and Dylan Alhanati plated Thomas with a single.
Thomas finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate with three RBI and a run. Wright and Michaels each had two hits.
Cook led the Panthers, going 4-for-5 with four RBI and two runs.
