LA VERNE, CA — The Leopards' season got off to hot start on Friday.
The University of La Verne baseball team finished three triples and a home run and totaled 13 hits on the way to an 11-8 win over Lewis & Clark in its season opener.
Stat Leaders
Matthew Dodd had an outstanding debut for the Leopards hitting a back-to-back RBI triples in his first two collegiates at bats. The freshman finished the game with three hits and two runs.
Patrick Keller added a pair of hits including a triple, drove in a pair of runs, stole two of bases, and led the Leopards with three runs. Tanner Siffert finished with two RBIs, two hits, and one run.
How it Happened
After the Pioneers took the initial two-run lead in the top of the second, Dodd got the Leopards on the board in the bottom half of the inning when he drove in catcher Adam Santa Cruz. In his next at bat, the freshman hit and almost identical line drive this time scoring designated hitter John Bike to give the Leopards a 3-2 lead.
Keller got in on the triples in the fourth with a shot to right center of his own, to bring in Anthony Salcedo and Drew Reddick, extending the Leopards' lead to 6-2.
Lewis & Clark mounted a comeback in the eighth inning scoring four runs off five hits to cut La Verne's lead to 10-8. But Brandon Shiota stopped the momentum when he added the final highlight of the game and hit a dart to the fence and sprinted around the bases for an inside-the-park home run.
Shiota and Bike each totaled two hits and an RBI. Tanner Browning, Santa Cruz, and Reddick each added an RBI.
On the Mound
Gerald Terry picked up the win with four strikeouts in three innings of relief. Travis Moffatt struck out the only batter he faced to earn the save. Jaylon Fong struck out two in his start.
Jack Thomson led the Pioneers with a triple, two hits, and two RBI.
The game concluded after the eighth inning due to darkness.
Next Game
The Leopards get back to action tomorrow morning when they face Puget Sound in a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.
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