LA VERNE, CA — The No. 8 University of La Verne baseball team extended its winning streak to 13 games, closing out their series against Franklin & Marshall with a dominant 14-4 victory at Ben Hines Field. The win completed the three-game sweep, solidifying the Leopards' stronghold on their impressive start to the season.

La Verne (15-1) jumped ahead early, putting up three runs in the first inning. Jake Ledford sparked the offense with a leadoff single before swiping second base. A Nate Perry RBI single brought home the first run, and Aaron Whobrey followed with a clutch two-run single to push the lead to 3-0.

After adding another run in the second, Franklin & Marshall responded with a four-run third inning to even the score at 4-4. However, La Verne wasted no time reclaiming control in the fifth. With two runners aboard, Ledford delivered a two-RBI single to left field, putting the Leopards back in front, 6-4.

La Verne broke the game wide open in the sixth, capitalizing on a series of timely hits. Whobrey continued his stellar performance with another two-RBI single before a wild pitch allowed yet another run to cross the plate. The big inning gave the Leopards a commanding 10-4 lead.

The seventh inning saw fireworks from Nolan Anguiano, who launched a towering two-run home run over the left-field fence, extending the lead to 12-4. The Leopards tacked on two more insurance runs in the eighth to seal the victory.

On the mound, the La Verne bullpen delivered six shutout innings to keep Franklin & Marshall at bay. After a rocky third inning, Jacob Castro, Caughlin Shults, and Kyle Noell combined to allow just four hits while striking out four. Shults (1-0) picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief.

La Verne will now turn its focus to a crucial opening SCIAC series as they will host Pomona-Pitzer on Friday, March 21, at 3:00 p.m.