High-powered offensve gives Chapman series sweep over Caltech

ORANGE, Calif. – The Caltech baseball team put a scare into the Panthers, but Chapman University rallied from an eight-run deficit to 'run rule' the visiting Beavers 19-8 and earn the three-game series sweep over Caltech with a pair of wins on Saturday at Hart Park. In the first game of the SCIAC doubleheader, the Panthers collected 13 hits and got 14 strikeouts in seven innings from its pitching staff for a 14-0 win.

Game 1: Chapman 14, Caltech 0 (7 inn.)

Junior RHP Matt Smith and freshman RHP Jordan Ott combined on a four-hit shutout, striking out 14 batters to help Chapman to its first three-game winning streak of the year and first SCIAC series win. Smith improved to 3-1 this season with nine strikeouts in five innings of work, allowing just two hits.

Meanwhile, the Panther offense scored in every inning, including sending 10 men to the plate and scoring four runs in both the fourth and fifth innings. Junior 3B Tyler Cook and freshman 1B Jared Love got the offense started with back-to-back RBI doubles in the first inning and both ended up driving in a pair of runs in the game. Love went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two runs and sophomore OF Joey Bernal was 2-for-2 in the leadoff spot with two runs and a sac fly.

Game 2: Chapman 19, Caltech 8

It took quite a rally for the Panthers to pull off another 'run rule' win and earn the sweep over Caltech – their first series sweep of the season. Chapman spotted the Beavers eight runs in the first four innings as Caltech strung together nine hits and capitalized on four Chapman errors to take an 8-0 lead after three and a half innings.

But Chapman (7-5 overall, 5-4 SCIAC) came back in a big way, scoring 19 runs in four innings, including four RBI each from Cook and freshman OF Gavin Blodgett and a pair of home runs from sophomore DH Forrest Wiederman. After Wiederman's second homer of the game led off the eighth inning, Blodgett ended it with a walkoff two-run bomb to left to give Chapman the 10-run margin 'run rule' margin (plus one). Bernal ended the game 4-for-6 with a pair of doubles and four runs scored.

Freshman LHP Brad Steiner was outstanding in five innings out of the bullpen, allowing no runs and just one hit while striking out four for his first collegiate victory.

During the Panthers' current four-game winning streak, the lineup is batting .373 and has had double-digit hit totals and at least nine runs in each game.

Chapman will host Ithaca College (N.Y.) on Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Hart Park before beginning a three-game SCIAC series with Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at home on Friday at 3 p.m.

by Doug Aiken
Sports Information Director

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