PASADENA – Three La Verne pitchers combined for a seven-inning shutout and four Leopards had multiple-hit days as the University of La Verne baseball team routed Caltech, 16-0, on Monday at the North Field.
The Leopards burst out of the gate with eight runs – with a little bit of help from the Beavers – in the first inning. The Leos managed four hits, but were helped by Caltech starter Tim Menninger's erratic control and a fielding miscue. Menninger hit three Leopards in the first inning and George Hanna and Mark Jebbia capped it off with a three-run double and an RBI single, respectively.
La Verne piled on with seven more runs in the next three innings. George Holland and Josh Surdo hit a double and a sacrifice fly, respectively, to score two in the second inning. Jebbia legged out a triple in the 3rd to plate Hanna and Joe Winterburn sacrificed in Jebbia in the next at-bat. In the 4th, Hanna had a two-RBI single and Nolan Henley scored on a groundball double play to expand La Verne's lead to 15-0.
The Leopards tacked on one more in the sixth when Michael Reyes scored on a fielder's choice.
Caltech had a chance to break the scoring seal in the 4th when Derek Kearney and Albie Lavin singled with one out, and then advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. But starter Kevin Knight struck out the next two Caltech batters to get out of the jam.
Knight scattered three hits in five innings while striking out eight to earn his second win of the season. Tim Ralston and Diego Cortez each threw a scoreless inning to finish it off for the Leopards.
Hanna, Jebbia, Ben White and Pedro Espinoza each had two hits.
Hanna drove in five runs from the leadoff spot, Jebbia knocked in three and five other Leopards recorded an RBI.
The series continues tomorrow at Pasadena with a 2:30 p.m. start.
Follow La Verne Athletics @ULV_Athletics Like La Verne Athletics on Facebook Sign up for our newsletters
