Lexi Giacobbe
Staff Writer
After losing the opener in a 1-0 nail biter, the Leopards had to muster up some strength to not get swept by the No. 15-ranked Cal Lutheran Kingsmen in their Saturday doubleheader at Ben Hines Field. But solid pitching, especially from junior starter Caughlin Shults, gave La Verne the win, 9-4.
Shults had full command of his fastball and held Cal Lutheran to four scoreless innings while getting run support in the third from a sacrifice fly by junior shortstop Ryan Vosika.
The Leopards opened the weekend series with the Kingsmen with a 4-3 loss Friday in Thousand Oaks, so this would give La Verne their first lead of the series and give them confidence later on.
“I felt good coming into the game today, I was confident in myself and my team,” Shults said.
Cal Lutheran did not give up and would tie it in the fifth inning. They strung together a hit and a walk off freshman pitcher Cobin Duffield and it was looking like it was going to be a big inning for the Kingsmen. But then La Verne graduate student pitcher Garret Halbeisen came in and stopped the bleeding. This would give the Leopards the confidence and the strength to fight back in a tied game.
“Going into today, the plan was to be aggressive in the strike zone, throw all my pitches for strikes, and get ahead of every hitter,” Halbeisen said. “We’ve been sticking to our staff philosophy of trying to get guys out or on base within three pitches, and I felt like I – along with the rest of the staff – really battled and worked hard to execute that.”
To start off the fifth inning, senior left fielder Nolan Anguiano singled and with a passed ball allowed him to reach second.
The Kingsmen would get two quick outs but timely hitting from senior center fielder Benny Vogel drove in Anguiano and broke the tie.
All with two outs, Vosika got hit by a pitch and senior designated hitter Malachi Francois singled to load the bases. This put the Kingsmen in a jam.
A walk to senior first baseman Noah Garcia made the score 3-1, but that was all the Leopards would get.
The two teams went blow-for-blow, fighting until the eighth inning. The score was 5-4 and the Leopards were on top. Junior third baseman Aaron Whobrey singled to start off the inning and a sacrifice bunt put him in scoring position.
Vosika singled up the middle to score Whobrey to start the rally. Then junior catcher Nate Perry singled to left and the nail in the coffin came when Garcia hit a home run to blast the lead open, 9-4.
“The home run was nice but we won one game out of three and we have a lot of work to do. It was good to win that game but there is work that needs to be done this week,” Garica said.
Cal Lutheran did not give up and gave the Leopards a run for their money in the eighth and ninth. If it were not for some stellar pitching performances from junior Gabe Lucero and sophomore Justin Ries, the Leopards would have been in a tough position.
“Our guys are ready physically but at this time of the year we are trying to train the mental side of the game and concentration, and keep doing the things it takes to win. And that stuff is hard to do,” head coach Scott Winterburn said.
The Leopards followed the series with a 3-0 non-conference loss to Masters on Wednesday.
The team is now 23-6 overall and 11-4 in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They are second place in conference, just one game behind Cal Lutheran.
Next up for the Leopards is a weekend series with SCIAC rival Occidental. The series kicks off at 3 p.m. Friday at Ben Hines Field, followed by a doubleheader at 11 a.m. Saturday in Eagle Rock.
Lexi Giacobbe can be reached at alexa.giacobbe@laverne.edu.
Lexi Giacobbe is a senior communications major with an concentration in public relations. She is a staff photographer for the Campus Times and La Verne Magazine, a staff writer for the magazine, and previously served as a staff writer for the Campus Times. She is also a member of the University of La Verne volleyball team.
Ethan Anderson is a senior communications major with a concentration in public relations. He is the LV Life editor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times, and a staff writer and photographer for La Verne Magazine. He has previously been a staff writer for the Campus Times. As a lifelong student-athlete, he has picked up valuable skills that he seeks to apply in his career in public relations, and ultimately make an impact.
