LA VERNE, CA — The University of La Verne baseball team racked up 16 hits and rolled to a 12-4 win over Cal Lutheran in their series opener Friday afternoon.

Season Impact

The Leopards ranked No. 10 by the American Baseball Coaches Association and No. 11 by D3Baseball.com, improved to 18-6-1 overall, 11-2 in the SCIAC, and remain in first place in the conference. Cal Lutheran, ranked No. 24 by the ABCA, fell to 20-7 overall and 10-6 in conference play. 

Nathan Perry led the Leopards with four RBIs in a 3-5 outing at the plate. He extended La Verne's lead to 6-0 in the second with a two-run single that scored Ryan Vosika and Logan Corthell. He capped off La Verne's scoring with a single that scored a pair in the fifth.

Aiden Salcedo put La Verne up big early when he cleared the bases with a double to right center to put the Leopards up 4-0.

Corthell added a highlight in the fifth as part of a four-run inning for La Verne when he tripled to right center to score Jared Benash. Crothell crossed the plate three times.

Logan Reese tallied two RBIs. He singled in Matthew Perry for the Leopards' first run of the game and plated Vosika with a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Matthew Diaz finished with three hits, one RBI, and a double. Benash added a pair of hits. Vosiska added three runs and an RBI.

Ethan Galindo pitched three innings of relief to pick up his second win of the year.

Big Time Stats

The Leopards have totaled 15 or more hits in seven games this season. La Verne entered the game with a .336 team batting average, 16th best in NCAA Division III.

Diaz leads the SCIAC with a .452 batting average and ranks fifth with a .490 on-base percentage. Perry ranks second in batting average (.426), third in runs scored (29), and fifth in on-base percentage (.500) and OPS (1.149).

Next Game

In anticipation of forecasted rain, the Leopards' doubleheader at Cal Lutheran originally scheduled for Saturday, April 13 has been rescheduled for Sunday, April 14, beginning at 11 a.m.