Talar Sarkissian
Staff Writer
La Verne beat Caltech, 16–3, on April 4 at Ben Hines Field after coming back from a 3–0 deficit early on in the game. There were 50 people in attendance. The win marked head coach Scott Winterburn’s 600th career victory.
Caltech started strong in the top of the first. Their opening batter, freshman first baseman Quinn Hartman, reached second on a hit. Senior center fielder Jack Fishel followed with a triple, driving in Hartman for the game’s first run.
La Verne’s starting pitcher, senior Ethan Galindo, struck out the next batter, but Caltech continued to put runs on the board. A hit to left field allowed another run, giving Caltech a 3–0 lead heading into the bottom of the inning.
La Verne responded quickly. Senior center fielder Benny Vogel had a hit, followed by a right-side single from senior first baseman Noah Garcia. While the Leopards didn’t score in the first, their energy at the plate showed they were ready to turn the game around.
The momentum shifted in the bottom of the second. Senior third baseman Jason Givens walked to start the inning. Senior right fielder Logan Reese followed with a hit to left, sending Givens to third and putting himself on second.
Senior catcher Matt Rice hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Givens and putting La Verne on the board. With the bases loaded shortly after, junior shortstop Ryan Vosika hit a double to left center, tying the game at 2–2.
“That inning gave us a chance to breathe,” Winterburn said. “We scored a couple, the guys relaxed, and then everything started clicking. We kept scoring and didn’t let up.”
The bottom of the third was where the Leopards took full control.
They started off with a ground-rule double from Vogel. From there, their offense didn’t let up. Walks, wild pitches, and contact led to multiple runs.
“Even though it’s spring break, we’ve been working in the cages all week,” Vogel said. “We knew Caltech was gonna score, but we stuck to our plan and did what we needed to do.”
Senior left fielder Nolan Anguiano hit a triple to right, clearing the bases. A few batters later, Rice followed with another triple, adding two more runs.
By the end of the inning, La Verne had scored 10 runs. The score was 14–2 after three innings.
“Our coaches are always in our ear about being patient. That’s helped me a lot,” Garcia said. “Our lineup feeds off each other — if someone doesn’t come through, someone else will. That’s just how we are. It takes the pressure off and makes the game fun.”
In the fourth, La Verne added two more runs. Reese set the tone with a deep hit, bringing home Givens and Anguiano to take the lead to 16–2. Caltech scored once in the sixth, but the Leopards had control of the game through the final innings.
“We just stayed in our process and played Leo baseball,” Reese said.
Following the win, the Leopards record improved to 19–3 for the season. After the final out, the team celebrated by dumping Gatorade on Winterburn in recognition of his career milestone.
“I don’t really think about it too much,” Winterburn said. “I just try to coach the next game. But hitting 600 means we’ve had a lot of good players, good coaches and a great staff over the years. That’s what really matters to me.”
La Verne carried that same momentum through the weekend. The team swept both games of Saturday’s doubleheader at Caltech, 10-0 and 8-2.
“It felt good to bounce back after last weekend,” Vogel said. “We just want to stack wins and keep bringing the same energy every time we hit the field.”
Talar Sarkissian can be reached at talar.sarkissian@laverne.edu.
Talar Sarkissian is a sophomore communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is a staff writer for the Campus Times and is actively involved in marketing and media.
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.
