Box Score SANTA CLARITA, CA — Malachi Francois hit two home runs, and the University of La Verne baseball team put together one of their best offensive performances of the season in a 16- 6 win over NAIA The Master's University Wednesday afternoon.
The Leopards, ranked No. 10 by D3baseball.com and No. 14 by the ABCA, improved to 22-9-1 overall. La Verne tied their season-highs with 19 hits and 16 RBIs, and scored just one run less than their season-best.
Francois highlighted the game with a pair of home runs. He led off the fourth with a no-doubter that quickly sailed over the left-field fence to extend La Verne's lead to 6-3. He followed his solo blast with a three-run homer to left in the sixth as part of an eight-run inning for the Leopards. The left fielder finished with four runs.
Noah Garcia added four RBIs with a 3-4 performance at the plate. He got the Leopards' scoring started in the sixth when he doubled in Logan Reese and Nolan Anguiano and drove in Nathan Perry and Anguiano with a single in the fourth.
The Leopards took a 2-0 lead just five batters into the game after benefitting from a leadoff error. The Mustangs quickly surged ahead and took a 3-2 lead in the bottom half of the inning.
But La Verne took over from there scoring three in the second spurred by an RBI triple from Ryan Vosika.
The Leopards poured on three more in the prompted by Francois' long ball and put the game away with an eight-run seven-hit sixth inning.
Anguiano finished the game with three hits, two doubles, and a walk. He drove in three runs including two to cap off La Verne's big sixth inning.
The Leopards finished the game with six doubles with Reese, Garcia, Jason Givens, and Jake Ledford hitting one apiece.
Reese finished with three hits, three runs, and an RBI. Matthew Diaz and Givens each added two hits.
The Leopards used eight different pitchers in the game with freshman John Folkl picking up the first win of his career. Folkl pitched two innings of relief, struck out one, and gave up one hit. Chase Pedersen and Gabriel Lucero struck out two.
Next Game
The Leopards return to SCIAC action this Friday at Ben Hines Field when they host Whittier College at 3 p.m.
