TUCSON, AZ —The University of La Verne baseball team completed a perfect weekend at the Arizona Tournament on Sunday, going 5–0 while scoring a combined 59 runs in a dominant offensive showing.
 
Thursday, March 5th - Game One: La Verne 10, Concordia Wisconsin 4
 
Justin Ries was handed the ball for game one of the tournament. He was given instant offensive backup as Aidan Salcedo and Nathan Perry hit two-run and three-run home runs in their first at-bats of the game. Ries was dominant on the mound, tossing four scoreless innings and striking out five.
 
Concordia answered back on a three-run shot hit by Graham Kasten and scored once more in the seventh while the Leopards' bats stayed hot. Thomas Villanueva went 2-5, bringing in two runs, while Isaac Barrales picked up his first RBI of the season. Salcedo finished with five RBIs to his name on the day.
 
Jordan Mansfield pitched 1.2 innings, striking out four batters, while Corbin Duffield picked up the win, throwing one scoreless inning and striking out two.
 
Friday, March 6th - Game Two: La Verne 12, Concordia Wisconsin 5
 
The Leopards' offense exploded in game two, combining for 20 hits and twelve runs, backing up starting pitcher Andrew Wente, who went three innings, allowing four runs off six hits. With La Verne already up by two runs, Perry hit his second home run of the series in the top of the fourth inning, bringing in Salcedo and himself, adding two insurance runs.
 
Ryan Vosika, Salcedo, Barrales, and Roman Miranda all notched two hits while Salcedo drove in two runs and Miranda one. Perry finished with three hits and three RBI's while RJ Libby also added three hits and two RBIs to his stat sheet. Isaiah Figueroa also put the ball on the bat three times.
 
Rudy O'Dell and Nico Hamilton both impressed on the mound. O'Dell relieved Wente, throwing three scoreless innings and grabbing his first collegiate win, while Hamilton only allowed one unearned run and collected five strikeouts.
 
Friday, March 6th - Game Three: La Verne 18, RV Gustavus Adolphus 4 – 7 innings
 
In another offensive display, the Leopards run-ruled the Lions, who are receiving votes in the D3Baseball.com Top 25 poll.
 
Already leading by five in the top of the fifth, the Leopards erupted for ten runs in the inning to push their advantage to 17–2 off four hits and three walks. The rally included another Perry two-RBI double, continuing his hot weekend at the plate.
 
Villanueva led the Leopards with one hit, two walks, two runs, and four RBIs. Vosika and Perry each had two hits and three RBI's while Christian Takahashi recorded a hit and two RBIs.
 
Jack Holguin started the game for La Verne, allowing only two runs in four innings while fanning six batters. Aiden Nunez pitched in relief, turning in three innings and adding four strikeouts.
 
Saturday, March 7th - Game Four: La Verne 4, Gustavus Adolphus 2
 
La Verne trailed the Lions 2-0, heading into the fifth inning of their Saturday match-up. After Salcedo and Perry were both hit by pitches, Figueroa walked to load the bases for Libby, who also drew a base on balls, bringing in the Leopards' first run of the game and cutting the Lions' lead to one run. Alek Bautista brought in Perry on a fielder's choice to third to knot things up at two.
 
Duffield kept the Leopards in the game, logging six innings and allowing only two runs while striking out five.
 
The score held till the top of the eighth inning when Perry was hit with another pitch with the bases loaded, letting Villanueva walk home and giving La Verne the lead. Figueroa followed, reaching on a fielder's choice and driving in Takahashi for an insurance run.
 
Two-way player Aaron Whobrey finished the game with 1.2 scoreless innings and a strikeout to earn his first save of the season, while also collecting two hits at the plate.
 
Sunday, March 8th - Game Five: La Verne 15, Bethany Lutheran 5
 
Before heading back home, La Verne put on one last offensive performance in Arizona in their final game of the tournament, putting up 15 runs off 13 hits, highlighted by Salcedo's second home run of the tournament, a solo shot in the top of the third inning.
 
The Leopards had a bullpen game on the mound, with Mikey Rogozik getting the start and pitching two scoreless innings while striking out four. Jaden Guzman also saw action, whiffing four batters through 2.2 innings pitched. Holden Jones and Drew Marino both tossed a scoreless frame each.
 
Levi Altimarano went 3-3 at the plate and scored a run, while Perry added another two hits and an RBI to his weekend stat sheet.
 
Up next:
With the five-game sweep, La Verne improves to 9-4 overall and 2-1 in SCIAC play. They will briefly return home before flying to Belton, Texas, for a three-game match-up between the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders, with game one of the series on Friday, March 13th at 4 p.m. PST.