Victory Sunday gives Panthers series split

ORANGE, Calif. – Needing a win in the finale to even its four-game series against Linfield College (Ore.), the Chapman University baseball team’s offense scored six times in the fifth inning and got a clutch pitching performance out of the bullpen from sophomore LHP Ben Levitt to earn an 11-5 win at Hart Park on Sunday. The No. 2-ranked Panthers earned the series split and improved to 24-7 overall.

Already trailing 3-1, Levitt entered the game in the third inning and held the Wildcats down allowing no runs until the seventh inning. The lefty finished the game and earned his first win of the year, allowing two runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings. Levitt struck out four batters and didn’t walk any.

The Panthers’ offense exploded for six runs in the fifth inning to take the lead for good. Junior IF Tyler Hadzinsky got the scoring started with an RBI ground out, followed by freshman OF James Parr’s two-run double to center field. Three more run-scoring singles were added by senior DH Joe Lehman, senior IF Matt Luzar, and sophomore OF Charlie Piro in the inning to propel Chapman to a 7-3 lead. Lehman was 3-for-4 and reached base four times while scoring a pair of runs in the game.

Senior IF Ryan Prechtl added a solo home run to left-center in the sixth, advancing the Chapman lead to 8-3. Prechtl is tied for second on the team with five home runs this season.

The Panthers added three insurance runs in the bottom of seventh capitalizing on a pair of Linfield errors following an RBI single by junior C Adam Kordich.

Linfield (24-10) got on the board in the third inning when senior IF Kelson Brown hit an RBI single to right field, followed by junior OF Cole Bixenman’s two-run single to left, jumping ahead of Chapman 3-1 and chasing Panthers’ starter freshman RHP Kevin Osaki.

Chapman’s defense kept Linfield and its 15-hit attack from scoring more. Breaking out his gold glove early was senior OF Ryan Hall who made three spectacular catches in centerfield, while saving at least two Linfield runs to end threats in the second and third innings. Making just his sixth start behind the plate, Kordich also threw out three of four potential base-stealers at second base.

Linfield’s “Killer B’s” – Brown, Bixenman, and sophomore OF Zach Boskovich – combined for eight of the Wildcats’ 15 hits.

by Doug Aiken & Nicole Inal
Sports Information Director & Sports Information Intern

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/bsb/2009-10/stats/lin-cu4.htm