LA VERNE, CA — The No. 10 University of La Verne baseball team continued its strong start to the season, sweeping Saturday's doubleheader against Willamette University at Ben Hines Field. The Leopards dominated game one with a 10-1 victory before sealing the series with a 10-5 win in game two.

Game One: La Verne 10, Willamette 1

The Leopards relied on dominant pitching and timely hitting to cruise past the Bearcats in the opener. Senior Ethan Galindo delivered another stellar performance, tossing seven innings of one-run ball while striking out five and allowing just six hits to earn his third win of the season.

La Verne broke through in the fourth inning when Logan Corthell led off with a walk and later scored on a clutch RBI double from Malachi Francois. Nate Perry followed with an RBI double of his own, giving the Leopards a 2-0 lead.

The offense erupted in the sixth inning, plating four runs to take control of the game. A two-run single from Benny Vogel and a triple by Corthell highlighted the rally, pushing the lead to 7-1. The Leopards tacked on three more in the seventh, with Ryan Vosika doubling in two more runs to cap off the scoring.

Relievers Austin Klopfenstein and Kyle Noell combined for two scoreless innings to close out the game.

Game Two: La Verne 10, Willamette 5

The second game of the doubleheader featured a back-and-forth battle before the Leopards pulled away late.

Willamette struck first with a solo home run from Luke Piazza in the opening inning. La Verne responded quickly in the second, capitalizing on defensive miscues to take a 3-1 lead.
The Bearcats answered with a three-run fifth inning to momentarily take a 4-3 advantage, but the Leopards refused to back down.

In the seventh, Benny Vogel got the offense going with a leadoff single, followed by two consecutive walks to load the bases. Nolan Anguiano then delivered a clutch two-run single, putting La Verne ahead 6-4. Jason Givens followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, extending the lead to 7-4

The Leopards secured the victory with a three-run eighth inning, fueled by a clutch two-RBI double to right field from Noah Garcia. Jason Givens followed with a ground-rule double down the left-field line, adding another insurance run and solidifying La Verne's commanding lead.

On the mound, Caughlin Shults, Garret Halbeisen, and Mikey Rogozik combined across five innings to keep La Verne within striking distance before Klopfenstein came in to earn the win, tossing four strong innings of relief.

Up Next

With the doubleheader sweep, the Leopards (11-1) continue their impressive start to the season. They will face the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Engineers Sunday, March 9, at 11 a.m. at Ben Hines Field.