PASADENA, CA — The No. 5 University of La Verne baseball team swept Saturday's doubleheader at Caltech in dominant fashion, blanking the Beavers 10-0 in game one before surging late for an 8-2 comeback win in the final game at North Field.

Game One: La Verne 10, Caltech 0

The opener was all La Verne from the start, as the Leopards poured on 10 runs across the final five innings and held Caltech to just a single hit in a complete performance.
Nate Perry got the Leopards rolling with a solo homer in the fourth, and the offense exploded from there. Noah Garcia led the charge with a 3-for-5 day, driving in three runs including a two-run triple in a pivotal fifth inning. Benny Vogel added three hits, three runs, and an RBI, while Nolan Anguiano contributed a pair of hits, including an RBI double.

On the mound, Matthew Desmarets was untouchable. The junior righty struck out 10 over 6.1 innings of one-hit baseball, moving to a perfect 6-0 on the season. Mikey Rogozik closed the door with 1.2 innings of clean relief, preserving the shutout and allowing the Leopards to cruise to their 21st win.

Game Two: La Verne 8, Caltech 2

After falling behind 2-0 through six innings, La Verne roared back in the final three frames with an eight-run outburst to complete the sweep.

Trailing in the seventh, Matthew Diaz put La Verne on the board with an RBI double before Ryan Vosika tied the game with a single. Then came the explosion in the eighth. La Verne had just taken a 3-2 lead in the eighth when pinch-hitter Malachi Francois stepped up and delivered the decisive blow — a towering three-run homer to dead center that sent the Leopard dugout into a frenzy.

La Verne wasn't done. RBI doubles by Nate Perry and Garcia capped the six-run frame and all but sealed the game. Francois finished with three RBIs, while Jason Givens scored twice and added two hits. Perry and Garcia each recorded multi-hit performances as well.

Corbin Duffield earned his first win of the season in relief, while Garret Halbeisen closed it out with a scoreless 1.2 innings. 

Up Next

The Leopards (22-3, 10-2 SCIAC) hit the road Friday, April 11, to open a three-game SCIAC series at California Lutheran. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Thousand Oaks.