Baseball downs Caltech in non-conference matchup

ORANGE, Calif. – Sophomore Brad Shimabuku had three extra-base hits as the Chapman University baseball team defeated Caltech 8-2 in a non-conference matchup. The No. 3 Panthers improved to 11-3 on the season.

Shimabuku was on base all five times he came to the plate with two doubles, a triple, a walk, and he reached on catcher's interference. He scored twice and drove in a run.

It was Shimabuku's double to lead off the first that led to the Panthers' first run. In the third, he led off with a walk and scored on a sacrifice fly from junior Henry Zeisler. He doubled again in the sixth and tripled in the Panthers' final run in the eighth.

Chapman built a 5-0 lead over the first three innings with a run-scoring double from sophomore Cooper Foard in the second and a run-scoring single from senior Joe Jimenez in the third. That was more than enough run support as junior Riley Glenn and freshman Grant Manning held Caltech to just two runs despite 10 hits and a trio of Panther errors.

Glenn cruised through his first trip through the lineup, retiring all nine in order before Cortland Perry led off the fourth with a double. Glenn ran into trouble with the bases loaded in the fifth but escaped unscathed when he tagged out a runner at the plate trying to score on a pitch that bounced away from Jimenez.

In the sixth, the Beavers smacked back-to-back doubles to start the inning and get on the board. Glenn again faced the bases loaded with one-out and two runs already across but struck out the next two batters – the final two he would face – to keep the Panthers up 6-2.

Glenn struck out eight over six innings and walked just one. Manning came out of the bullpen to toss three scoreless innings for his first save. He struck out three without issuing a walk and allowed just two hits.

The Panthers scored a pair of insurance runs in the eighth for the 8-2 win as Manning continued to roll through the Beavers' lineup.

After Ithaca canceled its trip to California due to health concerns, the Panthers and Beavers agreed to meet up at Hart Park to fill the hole in the schedule. It was a non-conference matchup and did not affect SCIAC records.

The Panthers take on Dallas on Monday at 2 p.m. The game was moved up from Tuesday to avoid forecasted rain.

.

By Steven Olveda.
Sports Information Director

Become a fan of Chapman Athletics on Facebook
Follow Chapman Athletics on Twitter @ChapmanSports
Post your #PantherPic to Instagram @ChapmanSports