Joseph Lovallo
Assistant Editor
The University of La Verne baseball team continues to fight hard in its quest to repeat as Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions.
The Leopards took six of their nine games over spring break.
La Verne (17-6, 8-3) continued conference action on Wednesday afternoon as they faced Redlands University in a make up game at Ben Hines Field.
The Leopards had the lead early as Ryan Holmes scored on a passed ball, but Redlands’ four run fifth inning was all they needed, as a ninth inning Leopard rally fell short and concluded the 4-2 loss.
The Leopards closed out the week by winning two out of three conference match-ups against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps last weekend.
After losing, 5-3, to CMS on Friday, the Leopards came out and swept the Stags at Ben Hines Field on Saturday.
Sophomore Kyle Johnson led La Verne to a 13-1 victory in game one, going 2-3 with a home run and two RBIs.
The Leopards got on the board early as they scored four runs in the first inning and would later drop nine runs in the sixth.
Lindeen earned the victory for the Leopards, only giving up one run.
Holmes chipped in with a three run home run.
La Verne prevailed 11-8 in game two, after fighting back from a 6-1 deficit in the sixth inning.
Johnson stayed hot, going 3-for-3 at the plate with one home run and three RBIs. Holmes also contributed a 2-for-4 effort with two RBIs and Jason Jarvis went 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Reliever Kyle Darg came in and shut the Stags down and picked up the win.
La Verne also took on Cal State East Bay and Point Loma Nazarene in a doubleheader last Wednesday at Ben Hines Field.
The Leopards’ bats were on point as they faced Cal State East Bay, tallying 11 hits, but only manufacturing one run from a Jarvis home run in the first inning.
La Verne lost to CSEB 3-1. Jarvis, Holmes and junior Jason House all went 2-for-4.
“I was anxious to get back,” said Jarvis, who missed the four previous games after suffering two concussions within a one-week period.
“It was tough sitting out, so I stepped right in and didn’t hesitate,” Jarvis said.
The Leopards finished the day with a 14-5 win over nationally ranked National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics opponent Point Loma Nazarene.
ULV found themselves down early as they trailed PLNU, 3-0, after just the first inning, but answered on the bottom half on a bases clearing double from House to even with the score at three.
DuBarry added a three-run double of his own, as La Verne would go on to explode for a seven run third inning.
House finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs and junior Jonathan Marty also added a 2-for-5 effort. Jarvis went 3-for-6 and Holmes added a solid 3-for-5 effort.
“The guys in front of me have been getting on base,” DuBarry said. “I’ve been seeing the ball well, and been able to knock them in.”
The Leopards took part in the tenth annual Cal Classic Invitational over the weekend of Mar. 18, winning three of their four games.
The Leopards opened the tournament with a tough loss to Eastern Connecticut State, who at the time was ranked No. 6 in the nation.
La Verne had the lead going into the eighth inning, but could not hold on, and fell to the Warriors, 4-5.
Leopard pitcher Scott Lindeen only gave up one run in the start, but was helped primarily by a strong defense.
“The defense really kept me in the game,” Lindeen said. “Guys like (Greg) Chico were making great plays out there to help me out.”
On Mar. 19 the Leopards headed out to Redlands and started the day defeating the University of Puget Sound, 6-2. The victory was helped by a strong pitching performance from Mark Simmons.
Sophomore Danny Bonilla went 2-2 at the plate and DuBarry went 2-for-4.
La Verne then took the final game from Redlands University as they defeated the Bulldogs, backed by pitching from Steve Hagman.
Tony Lagos led the Leopard offense, with a 3-for-3 performance, along with Holmes who went 3-for-6. House chipped in going 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs, and Jamar went 2-for-3.
This weekend the Leopards have a chance to make up ground in the title race, as they take on California Lutheran University.
The Kingsmen stand as a major threat to the Leopard’s goal, ranking first place in conference.
“This series is where we’re either going to step it up or fade out.” Jarvis said. “This can be the turning point of our season.”
The Kingsmen, who only have one conference loss, finished second behind the Leopards in last year’s standings.
“From here on out all of the games are big,” head coach Scott Winterburn said. “We’ve got to be on top of our game, and stay focused the whole way through.”
La Verne takes on the CLU Kingsmen at 2:30 p.m. today at Ben Hines Field, and will travel to Thousand Oaks tomorrow for a doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m.
Joseph Lovallo can be reached at lovalloj@ulv.edu.
Joseph Lovallo
