Rauh sets Chapman's strikeout record, but Panthers drop a pair

ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University baseball team dropped a pair of games to visiting Pomona-Pitzer Colleges on Saturday at Hart Park. Panthers' ace junior RHP Brian Rauh suffered yet another no decision in the first game as the Sagehens rallied from a 2-0 ninth inning deficit, scoring two unearned runs in the inning, and then won it in the 10th by a score of 3-2. In the second game, Pomona-Pitzer RHP Stuart Gano tossed a complete game, five-hitter to help the Sagehens win 5-1 and sweep the doubleheader.

Game 1: Pomona-Pitzer 3, Chapman 2 (10 innings)
Chapman (10-14) might sum up the season to this point in this one game. A brilliant pitching performance from the two-time All-American Rauh, who tossed 13 strikeouts and allowed just six hits in nine innings, only to see the win slip away in the ninth on a pair of errors and two passed balls. Pomona-Pitzer (14-10-1) rallied for another run in the top of the 10th inning and then retired the Panthers 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning.

Rauh's performance was highlighted when he broke Chapman's all-time strikeouts record in the fourth inning. The record of 294 previously held by both Scott Akamine and Wayde Kitchens belongs to Rauh after just two and a half seasons on the mound at Chapman. He now has 302 career punchouts.

Sophomore OF Connor Battaglia provided the offensive highlights for Chapman throughout the doubleheader, going 3-for-4 in this one and driving in both Panther runs in the fourth and eighth innings.

Game 2: Pomona-Pitzer 5, Chapman 1
As previously mentioned, this game belonged to Gano (2-0) who went the distance in just his second start of the season. The righty held Chapman to just three hits over the first seven innings and didn't surrender a run until the eighth. He finished with seven strikeouts and allowed just six hits and a walk.

The Panthers scored their lone run in the eighth when sophomore IF Troy Newman hit a one-out double and then pinch runner Eric Robbins came around to score on a single to left by sophomore IF Mark Saatzer. Battaglia led Chapman by going 2-for-4 with a double.

Junior RHP Travis McGee was the tough-luck loser in the nightcap, allowing just one earned run and four hits in seven innings of work while striking out 10 Sagehens. Pomona-Pitzer scratched across single runs in the first, third and sixth innings before delivering the final blow with two runs in the ninth.

The win gave Pomona-Pitzer the series win after Chapman took the opener on Friday 10-7 in Claremont. Chapman fell to 4-9 at Hart Park this season and has lost four of its past five games overall.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

Boxscores
Game 1: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/bsb/2011-12/boxscores/20120324_muli.xml
Game 2: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/bsb/2011-12/boxscores/20120324_7r6v.xml

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