Lila Gongora
Staff Writer
A walk-off error gave the Leopards the win over the Chapman Panthers, 8-7, in their series opener April 24 at Ben Hines Field.
The Leopards had to battle on offense throughout the game, but battling and grit are two of the most identifiable factors of the La Verne baseball team.
“To be in a series opener and have a game go back and forth like that is a fun game to be in,” head coach Scott Winterburn said. “We felt like grit kept us in the game today, but we felt that we could’ve had a lot more of it during the course of the game.”
The Panthers scored two runs in the first inning, but the Leopards came back, scoring four runs in the bottom of the third. Senior shortstop Ryan Vosika walked, and sophomore third baseman RJ Libby and senior second baseman Aidan Salcedo scored off a triple from senior catcher Nate Perry, who also scored in the inning.
“Keeping tough by having good at-bats, pitching the ball in the zone and being competitive in whatever we’re doing is important,” Perry said.
Even with La Verne leading, Chapman came back, ending the fifth inning up 7-4. With uncertainty on the mound for the Leopards, pitching changes were necessary. Three relievers followed junior starter Justin Ries before Winterburn handed the ball to sophomore left-handed pitcher Lucas Quintana.
Quintana pitched a perfect last two innings to close out the game, which seemingly helped shake the Panthers’ confidence in the last portion of the game.
Being able to capitalize on errors by the opposing team also proved to make a difference in the score for La Verne.
In the eighth inning, freshman outfielder Lucas Zayac scored on a throwing error by Chapman junior third baseman Blake Jacobs, tying the score at 7-7 for the Leopards.
“Adrenaline was pumping throughout the entire game, especially when we started coming back,” Zayac said. “Our team did a good job fighting throughout the game, and then we had the walk-off.”
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Zayac hit a ball over to third base, and junior pinch runner Christian Takahashi scored on a fielding error by Jacobs.
“The theme of today’s game was grit and toughness,” Takahashi said. “The energy in the dugout was pretty calm. Throughout a baseball game you’re going to have your ups and downs, but we were on our home turf, and I think we did a great job at staying composed.”
The Leopards seemed confident that they would obtain another series sweep this season. However, on Saturday at W.O. Hart Park in Orange, La Verne lost both games in the series doubleheader.
La Verne baseball will take on Redlands on Friday at the Yard Baseball Field, and then will return home to Ben Hines Field for the doubleheader on Saturday.
Competing against Redlands, the Leopards hope to claim the No. 3 spot in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference before they head to the postseason tournament beginning Wednesday.
Lila Gongora can be reached at lila.gongora@laverne.edu.
Lila Gongora is a sophomore communications major with a concentration in public relations. She is the LV Life editor for the Campus Times and previously served as a staff writer.
Joseph Nocero is a senior photography major at the University of La Verne and a staff photographer for the Campus Times and photography editor for La Verne Magazine. His work can also be found at Joseph Nocero Photography.
