LA VERNE, CA — The University of La Verne baseball team took a pair of games from visiting Occidental College on Saturday, beating the Tigers 4-2 and 8-0.
Season Impact
With the wins, the Leopards move into a tie in the SCIAC with Cal Lutheran. La Verne improves to 25-9 overall and 12-6 in SCIAC play. Occidental falls to 23-11 and 11-7 in conference play.
Game One: La Verne 4, Occidental 2
Charlie Verrone tied the game 2-2 lead in the seventh when he hit a two-run homer to left. The junior came in clutch for the Leopards, stepping into the box as a pinch hitter after Brandon Shiota led off the inning with a triple.
Two batters later Lukas Granado added a triple of his own to score Jacob Benson, giving La Verne the advantage for good.
Benson added an insurance run the next inning when he singled in Shiota. Benson finished 3-4 at the plate.
Devon Burhans was solid in his start, striking out one in six innings of work with no earned runs. Ethan Fulsher picked up the win in relief.
Christopher Peres pitched the final two innings to earn his seventh save.
Game Two: La Verne 8, Occidental 0
Brandon Vogel led the Leopards with three RBI and John Bike and Granado each hit in a pair of runs as the La Verne won the final game of the series.
Leading 3-0 in the seventh, Bike hit a two-out triple to right center to bring Shiota and Peres across the plate, extending the lead.
Later in the inning, Vogel drew a bases-loaded walk for his third RBI of the game. Granado capped off the inning with a single to left center that scored Vogel and Verrone.
Verrone and Granado each totaled two hits. Vogel added a triple.
Christopher Arcos picked up the win in his first start of the season, going five innings with two strikeouts and just three hits.
AJ Jimenez struck out two in an inning of relief. Peres stepped on the mound for the final two innings out three to earn his SCIAC leading eighth save of the year.
Next Game
The Leopards next host the Whittier College Poets on Friday, April 26 at 3 p.m.
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