Panthers back in win column with doubleheader split against Linfield
ORANGE, Calif. – After dropping the first game of the doubleheader 9-3 to Linfield College on Saturday afternoon at Hart Park, the Chapman University baseball team rebounded with a 5-2 victory in game two as freshman Brian Rauh pitched a complete game. The win ended the Panthers brief two-game skid which was their first losing streak of 2010.
Game 1: Linfield 9, Chapman 3
Linfield (24-9) took a 1-0 lead in the second inning after
a lead-off homer by sophomore OF Zack Boskovich,
his 13th of the season which ranks him third in NCAA
Division III. The Wildcats tacked on another run in the second with
a sacrifice fly to center field by senior C Mitch
Webb scoring senior IF Rhett Fenton.
With two outs in the third inning, an RBI single by junior 2B Tyler Hadzinsky cut Linfield’s lead to 2-1 which is as close as Chapman (23-7) would get.
After back-to-back Chapman errors in the fifth inning, Linfield pushed its lead to 5-1 with a three-run home run to left field by junior C Cole Bixenman off of Panthers’ freshman starter Travis McGee. Junior IF Eric Evenson followed with an RBI single giving the Wildcats a five-run advantage.
Linfield added a run in the seventh and then two more in the eighth highlighted by Bixenman’s second home run of the game to put the game out of reach. For the second time in as many days a Linfield starter threw a complete game as senior Garrett Dorn shut down the Panthers’ offense allowing six hits and one earned run.
In relief of McGee, sophomore Adam Pittman made his first appearance out of the bullpen in over a year pitching 1 1/3 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit.
Game 2: Chapman 5, Linfield 2
After Chapman took a first inning lead on an RBI single by senior DH Joe Lehman, Linfield came back with two runs of its own in the second inning on an RBI groundout by sophomore OF Kylle Ashton and run-scoring single by Evenson. The Wildcats could have added another run on Ashton’s single but Chapman sophomore RF Charlie Piro ended the inning by throwing Linfield senior OF Jared Adamson out at the plate to end the rally.
With Chapman down 2-1, freshman IF Tyler Surnbrock connected for his first-career home run in the fifth inning to tie the game off of Linfield starter Reese McCulley.
The Panthers took their first lead of the series 3-2 in the sixth inning on an RBI single from senior 1B Matt Luzar. Chapman added two more runs in the inning on a double to left centerfield from Piro to increase the lead to 5-2.
In the ninth inning, Linfield brought the tying run to the plate in Kelson Brown after a pair of singles. Rauh who threw his third complete game of the season, forced Brown to groundout and then struck out the next Linfield batter to end the game, 5-2. Rauh allowed two runs and nine hits while striking out seven batters to improve to 7-0 this season.
by Chris Watts & Lindsay Jones
Sports Information Assistant & Sports Information
Intern
Boxscore Game 1: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/bsb/2009-10/stats/lin-cu2.htm
Boxscore Game 2: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/bsb/2009-10/stats/lin-cu3.htm