LA VERNE, CA - The University of La Verne baseball team erupted for 33 total runs on Saturday, powered by commanding pitching on both ends of the doubleheader. The Leopards run-ruled the Occidental Tigers in both games, cruising to 20-6 and 13-3 victories. 
 
Isaiah Figueroa led the Leopards at the plate. In game one, he picked up two hits, walked once, scored twice, and brought in two runs. His hot bat continued in game two, ripping a three-run home run over the right field fence, and scoring the winning run. 
 
Seniors Ryan Vosika, Nathan Perry and Aidan Salcedo all had powerful days with their bats. Vosika collected three hits in each game and brought in three runs while Perry finished his day with four total hits and six RBIS. Salcedo added another four total hits and scored four times, recording an RBI as well.
 
On the mound, La Verne was efficient, only using four pitchers to get through 15 innings. Corbin Duffield picked up his fifth win of the season in game one, tossing 4.1 innings and allowing four earned runs off nine hits while striking out two. Aaron Whobrey pitched 2.2 scoreless innings to secure the game one win. 
 
Jack Holguin continued his impressive freshman season in game two of the doubleheader, throwing a total of 6.2 innings and only allowing three earned runs off eight hits while also striking out eight batters. Zenan Pena closed out game two, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings and whiffing a batter.
 
Game One: La Verne 20, Occidental 6 - Seven Innings
 
The Leopards exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the first inning off Occidental starter Aidan Alfers, sending 13 batters to the plate in a dominant opening frame. With Libby and Salcedo on base, Perry doubled down the right field line to bring home Libby. Lucas Zayac followed with a productive out that allowed Salcedo to cross the plate.

La Verne kept the pressure on as Alek Bautista, Figueroa, Tommy Villanueva, and Jake Ledford reached base, extending the lead to 5-0. That marked the end of the outing for Alfers, who was replaced by William Myers.

The Leopards did not slow down. Vosika greeted Myers with a single to center field, scoring Villanueva as La Verne batted around. Aggressive base running continued to pay off, as Vosika on first and Ledford on third executed a double steal, extending the lead to 7-0.

Occidental got two runs back in the top of the third off four hits, but the Leopards responded with another big inning in their half, scoring another five runs, highlighted by a Figueroa double to center field.

In the bottom of the fourth, La Verne put up another insurance run thanks to Perry, who was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make it a 13-2 ULV lead.

Despite the deficit, Occidental was not backing down. The Tigers scored four runs off three hits and an error in the top of the fifth inning, ending Duffield's appearance. Whobrey relieved him and ended the threat.

The Leopards backed up their pitching staff yet again in the bottom of the fifth. They batted around for the second time in the game and scored another seven runs off only one hit. In the frame, La Verne showed patience at the plate, drawing five walks and being hit four times. The patience paid off, as by the end of the fifth, La Verne was leading 20-6 and the NCAA run rule was back in effect.

Whobrey remained on the mound to close out the game, stranding one runner and sealing the 20-6 game one victory. 
 
Game Two: La Verne 13, Occidental 3 - Eight Innings

The Tigers gained a quick 2-0 lead off ULV's game two Holguin, but that lead did not last long. The Leopards bounced back, scoring four runs off four hits highlighted by back-to-back doubles from Salcedo and Perry. 

After gaining one run back in the top of the second, La Verne had another explosive inning in the bottom of the frame. Daniel Moreno started the five-run rally with a walk. Vosika and Libby hit consecutive singles, allowing Moreno to score, and Salcedo was hit by a pitch. Perry reached on a fielder's choice, bringing Vosika home to leave two runners on for Figueroa, who hit a moonshot over the right field fence and put the Leopards up 9-3. 

After the Tigers pushed across a pair of early runs, Holguin settled in and was lights out on the mound, delivering 6.2 strong innings. Zenan Pena came on in relief with two runners on and two outs in the top of the seventh, shutting the door by recording the final out and escaping the jam.

La Verne extended their lead again in the bottom of the seventh. Whobrey and Alek Bautista began the inning with two singles, and after an Occidental pitching change, Whobrey scored on a wild pitch and Bautista advanced to third. Moreno hit a sac fly, bringing in Bautista and putting the score at 11-3.

The Leopards added another run when Bautista was hit by his third pitch of the day with the bases loaded, making it a 12-3 game and bringing La Verne within one run of a run-rule walk-off.

With two outs, Vosika delivered the final blow, lining a hard-hit ball to left field that allowed Figueroa to score the game-winning run.

Words from Head Coach Scott Winterburn:
"Occidental has been a tough team all year long," said Head Coach Scott Winterburn. "To rebound today and play the way we did today was really gratifying." 

Season Impact and Next Up:
With the crucial series win, La Verne improves to 19-13-1 overall and 11-7 in SCIAC play. The Leopards currently sit in third place in the conference standings, trailing Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Pomona-Pitzer, who are tied for second at 12-6, while Cal Lutheran sits just behind at 10-8. Redlands holds sole possession of first place with a 14-7 mark. 

The Leopards will be back in action next Friday, April 24th when they host the visiting Chapman Panthers at 3 p.m.