LA VERNE, CA — The University of La Verne baseball team battled in an 11-inning thriller on Sunday afternoon against the Linfield Wildcats. Despite erasing a three-run deficit with five of their own, a four-run top of the eleventh from Linfield gave them the 9-5 victory, splitting the four-game series.
Lucas Zayac led the way for La Verne, going 4-4, picking up a run and an RBI. Alek Bautista and Christian Takahashi also had multi-hit games, each going 2-5. As a team, the Leopards had 13 hits as well as 10 walks, including three for Aaron Whobrey, but the difference maker was 19 runners left on base over the 11-inning affair.
It was a bullpen game for the Leos as they used seven different pitchers. Rudy O'Dell made his first collegiate start, pitching an innin,g allowing three runs on three hits, while striking out one against six batters. He was relieved by Aiden Nunez who was the most effective pitcher for head coach Scott Winterburn. He went 4.2 innings, giving up just two hits and no runs. Corbin Duffield and Jordan Mansfield combined for two innings, two runs, two hits, and three walks.
La Verne got the bats going in the fifth as they scored twice thanks to singles from Nathan Perry, Roman Miranda, Bautista, and Zayac. It was the same part of the lineup that tied the game in the sixth. Whobrey and Perry walked, and Bautista picked up an RBI when he ripped one back up the middle. A sacrifice fly and an error pushed two more across in the seventh, giving the Leopards a momentary lead before two eighth-inning runs pulled the Wildcats even with the Leos.
In a tie ballgame, Whobrey received the nod to extend the game, and did just that, picking up three straight outs, stranding the go-ahead runner at second in the ninth. He continued that success in the 10th with a 1-2-3 frame, but ran into some hot water in the 11th when Linfield plated three of their four runs in the inning against the right-hander. Jack Holguin and Cole Monsen entered to stop the bleeding, but the pivotal crooked number proved to be the difference.
Whobrey gets credited with the loss despite a valiant effort. For the Wildcats, Zack Hampson picked up his second win of the season and for the weekend.
The Leopards will open up SCIAC play as they take on the Whittier College Poets in a home game on Friday at 2 p.m., followed by a road doubleheader on Saturday.
