Laverty gets 200th win, baseball takes series from Cal Lutheran

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Head coach Scott Laverty won his 200th game at Chapman and the Chapman University baseball team took the series from Cal Lutheran with a doubleheader split. The Panthers won 9-4 in the early game before falling 18-12 in the second game.

The Panthers scored 20-plus runs over the two games as the offenses caught fire on Saturday. With the split, Laverty improved to 200-88 in his eight years at Chapman. The 2019 National Coach of the Year has won 69 percent of his games since taking over the Panther program and 59 percent of the games in his 22 years as a head coach.

Game 1 – W, 9-4

Junior Cooper Foard put on a clinic in the first game of the doubleheader, driving in six runs while going 2-for-4. Foard hit a three-run homer in the third, a two-run single in the sixth and a sacrifice fly in the eighth for the career-high output. He also caught a runner trying to steal.

Senior Riley Glenn went seven strong innings on the mound to pick up the win. He struck out two and allowed three runs on six hits. Freshman Turner White closed out the final two innings.

Junior Brad Shimabuku went 4-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI while sophomore Kai Osaka went 3-for-5 with a run scored.

The Panthers gave Glenn some immediate run support with senior Mack Cheli hitting a sacrifice fly in the first for a 1-0 lead. In the sixth, Shimabuku doubled in a run to add to Foard's two-run single in the inning as the Panthers built a 7-0 lead.

A couple of home runs from Jalen Parks gave Cal Lutheran all four of their runs but Chapman added two more late runs for the series-clinching win.

Game 2 – L, 18-12

The Panthers suffered their first loss of the season in game two in a wild 18-12 loss that saw the teams combine for 37 hits. The Kingsmen came out swinging and didn't let up as they scored at least a run in every frame.

The Panthers were down 7-1 after four innings and put together an incredible comeback in the fifth. Chapman plated eight runs to take a 9-7 lead in the top half of the inning but Cal Lutheran countered with five in the bottom half to retake the lead – 12-9.

Both teams continued to score in each of the next three innings but Cal Lutheran pulled away for the win.

Sophomore Davis Mieliwocki hit his first career home run while Shimabuku picked up three more hits. Cheli also went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs. Senior Trevor Marrs also had a three-hit game.

The Panthers take on La Verne next week in a three-game series. The first two will be played at La Verne on Saturday with the finale on Sunday at Hart Park.

By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director

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