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Baseball stays undefeated with sweep of Claremont

Leopards’ junior catcher Jakob Thomas fakes a throw to first base after a force play at the plate in the second inning Friday at Ben Hines Field. La Verne beat the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags, 13-3, in seven innings under the mercy rule. / photo by Kendra Craighead
Leopards’ junior catcher Jakob Thomas fakes a throw to first base after a force play at the plate in the second inning Friday at Ben Hines Field. La Verne beat the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags, 13-3, in seven innings under the mercy rule. / photo by Kendra Craighead

Kat Simonelli
Managing Editor

Senior shortstop Woody Reyes hit a run-scoring single up the middle to invoke the mercy rule, as the Leopards defeated the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags, 13-3, in seven innings Friday at Ben Hines Field.

This marked the beginning of a dominant weekend, as the Leopards swept the Stags, 13-3, 6-2 and 4-2.

“The team played pretty good,” head coach Scott Winterburn said. “We’re pretty pleased with where we’re at. We played pretty good defense, we attacked the ball and put the ball in play with two strikes and we threw strikes, so we got a lot closer to playing the way that were trying to play and so all in all I’m pretty pleased.”

The Leopards started off the first couple of innings slow Friday, but took control of the game in the third inning.

La Verne scored five runs, and led CMS, 7-1.

Stags senior starting pitcher Clayton Brock started off the third by walking junior catcher Jakob Thomas and hitting freshman first baseman Christopher Peres.

Sophomore left fielder Nick Michaels and junior second baseman Andrew Douglas stepped up to the plate and batted consecutive RBI hits.

The duo managed to bring in senior right fielder Daniel McDonnell and freshman designated hitter Christopher Ligot home to score.

CMS came back to score one run in the fourth, after freshman third baseman Ryan Motter grounded out to Reyes advancing sophomore second baseman Alex Clemens home, but the Stags were unable to close the gap.

La Verne came out strong in the fifth and sixth, scoring five more runs and advancing their lead to 12-2.

Junior third baseman Anthony Gonzalez singled to right center driving in senior center fielder Nolan Henley.

Peres then singled through the right side, bringing Gonzalez home to score.

Michaels then tripled to right center to bring in Ligot in the sixth.

“I was going in on a bunt situation and kind of messed up in the first couple pitches and got to 0-2, and I just was kind of thinking to myself, just flush that and get back to my two strike plan and just put the bat on the ball,” Michaels said. “I got a fastball over the plate and just put it into the gap.”

Michaels went 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBIs.

Henley tripled and scored on a throwing error by CMS freshman right fielder Nick DeGallier.

“It was pretty good, inside the park, especially on our field,” Henley said. “It’s a really big park and that might be one of the only ways to do it for a little guy like me.”

Henley led the Leopards with three hits on five at bats.

“We just had a little talk about not getting too high, but it’s always good to win on Friday and we’re really looking forward to getting back at it again on Saturday,” Reyes said.

The Leopards could not let the mercy rule win go to their heads and had to focus on the games the following day.

The team came out swinging and completed the sweep Saturday at Arce Field.

La Verne held CMS to four runs in game one of the doubleheader, as senior pitcher Brent Backlund pitched into the seventh inning, giving up two runs and walking four while striking out six.

Freshman pitcher Anthony Braun relieved Backlund and threw 2.2 perfect innings to earn the first save of his career, 6-2.

“It was a tough game in particular,” Winterburn said. “The strike zone was extremely tight and I thought all of our pitchers did a great job of handling it and we really made an impact on the series because to wrestle that game away under those conditions was tough.”

La Verne senior pitcher Brett Early pitched four strong innings; giving up two hits and striking out six to lead the Leopards to a 4-2 win in game two of the doubleheader.

“I knew coming out of the pen if I had my slider under control, I would be good and honestly felt like I could have thrown my slider with my eyes closed and it would have been a strike today,” Early said. “I feel like if I could do that every week I’ll be successful.”

Reyes and Thomas teamed up to drive in several runs throughout the game.

Reyes doubled to left field to lead off the game.

He finished the game 2-for-4.

Thomas then put the Leopards on the board with a single up the middle to drive Reyes home, putting La Verne up, 1-0.

The duo was back at it again in the third, after Reyes led off with a walk.

Thomas then pushed him to third with a single and Peres knocked Reyes home on a sacrifice fly, 2-0.

The Stags managed to score one run, but the Leopards tallied two more runs in the fourth and fifth, 4-1.

CMS drove in another run in the bottom of the eighth, 4-2.

Sophomore pitcher Nick Byrd then took over, and earned a six-out save with two runners on, and striking out two.

“Those innings I felt good, my fastball felt good and I was working off my slider. But I mean, it’s a process,” Byrd said. “I feel good and I’m ready to get Redlands next week.”

La Verne is 8-2 overall and 6-0 in Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.

The Leopards will take on the Redlands Bulldogs this weekend at 2:30 p.m. Friday at The Yard in Redlands.

The team will return back home with a doubleheader to complete the series against the Bulldogs.

The first game will begin at 11 a.m. Saturday at Ben Hines Field.

Kat Simonelli can be reached at kathryn.simonelli@laverne.edu and on Twitter at @KatSimonelli

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