PASADENA, Calif. (Apr. 10, 2022) - Head Coach Kevin Whitehead and Caltech's baseball program are more familiar with Lewis & Clark in 2022 than any other opponent, having faced the Pioneers five times this season, the latest clash taking place on Caltech's North Field Sunday morning.  While the result was familiar, the process played out vastly differently for both sides in this most recent rendition that saw Lewis & Clark prevail 16-11, dropping the Beavers to 6-23 (2-13 SCIAC).

Sophomore Matthew Cox (Dallas, Texas / Jesuit Dallas) took the ball to the hill for the Beavers, working his way through the first five innings, yielding four runs on five hits, striking out three while issuing four free passes.  He kept the Beavers close, giving his team's offense a chance to get back into the game, a feat that was accomplished when the Beavers, trailing 5-1 heading to the bottom of the 6th, got the bats going in that half inning, pushing three runs across and getting back within a run at a 5-4.  Junior Jack Warren (Foster City, Calif. / San Mateo) led off the 6^th with a single up the middle, followed by a base hit to left by senior William Cook (El Segundo, Calif. / Windward School).  That brought up freshman designated hitter Thorsen Kristufek (McKinney, Texas / McKinney) who loaded the bases with his second hit of the day, a single to center field.  Senior Ryan Ruskansky (Annandale, N.J. / North Hunterdon) drove home Warren with a sacrifice fly to center, and freshman Edward Speer (Austin, Texas / Leander) followed with a base hit to left that once again loaded the bases.  That left an opportunity for sophomore Leo Jenkins (New York, N.Y. / Beacon) who came through, driving a single to right that plated two, leaving the Beavers trailing the visitors from Oregon by a run at 5-4.

 

A quick at-bat was everything that Caltech wanted, and Lewis & Clark tried to avoid, when the Pioneers came up to lead off the 7^th inning.  Caltech's sophomore right-handed pitcher, Danny Collinson (West Chester, Pa. / Henderson) mowed down the Pioneers in the 7th, inducing two ground ball outs and a strike out in facing the minimum of three hitters, getting the Beavers back up to bat in the bottom of the 7^th with all the momentum coming from their rally in the bottom of the 6th.

 

Senior Dawson Beutler (Omaha, Neb. / Millard West) wasted no time in getting things going for Caltech in the bottom of the 7^th as he rifled a single to right.  This would become the start of the biggest inning for the Beavers all season long.  This was followed by a Warren walk, and then two batters later, Kristufek kept his perfect day alive with a double to left that knotted the game at 5-5 when Buetler crossed the plate.   Speer singled, followed by a sacrifice fly by Jenkins.  Ruscansky would score on a wild pitch, junior Will Dembski (Pella, Iowa / Pella Christian) and freshman Jack Fishel (Baltimore, Md. / Boys' Latin School of Maryland) would walk, loading the bases and allowing Dawson Beutler to come up for the second time in the inning.  The senior delivered, driving a double to deep right center that would plate all three base runners and push the Beavers in front 11-5.  

 

Coming off the incredible offensive output of the bottom of the 7th, the Beavers were looking to, once again, get a quick three outs and come back to the hot bats.  Unfortunately, that was not to be, as the Pioneers bats came to life, and the Beavers' pitching staff aided in Lewis & Clark's comeback.  When the dust had settled on the top half of the 8^th inning, the visitors had pushed across 11 runs in the frame, flipping the script again, taking a 16-11 lead to the bottom half of the inning.  With only six outs remaining and in need of another rally, the Beavers came up a little short, but still outhit the visitors 15-14 on the day, and committed zero errors defensively, a marked improvement over the prior series against Lewis & Clark, and a far cry from the 11 errors the Beavers made in giving Chapman extra outs in the three game tilt that ended on Saturday.

 

There are many positives to build on from the weekend of games as the Beavers will be back in action on Friday, April 15, 2022 when they travel to take on the Stags of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in Claremont, California.  Game time is set for 3:00 pm and can be followed at www.GoCaltech.com.  In addition to the available livestream, live stats are also available at this site.