PASADENA, Calif. (Feb. 11, 2023) – The Caltech baseball team hosted the University of Puget Sound on Saturday in the Beavers' first home games of the season. The team was hopeful to secure another win after their impressive 6-5 victory last weekend as they went up against the undefeated Loggers.

First-year player Brendan Flaherty started on the mound for the Beavers in Game 1, striking out five in his 19 batters faced. The young pitcher gave up no hits through his first two innings and just one after the third, but the Loggers found their bats in the fourth, scoring four runs on four hits.

Puget Sound continued to lay on the runs in the top of the seventh, but the Beavers answered with some offense of their own in their next time at the plate. Senior leftfielder Jack Warren led off the bottom of the seventh with a ground-rule double to left-center, one of his two hits in the game. Warren's hit was immediately followed by a base-on-balls for junior designated hitter Leo Jenkins.

Warren was thrown out at third after a fielder's choice the next at-bat, but the Beavers were not done, as a ball put in play by junior third baseman Gautam Chawla scored Jenkins from second base and gave some light in the Caltech dugout.

The team could not overcome the deficit built by the Loggers, however, who Caltech would face again later in Game 2.

As in Game 1, the Loggers would strike first, though this was followed once more by the Beavers again showing their offensive abilities. This time it was Warren who crossed home plate, as he blasted a ball to center field for a solo home run – his second homer of the season in just four games.

Puget Sound would pull further ahead in the fourth, but Caltech was not done doing damage at the dish. A single from sophomore catcher Edward Speer in the fifth inning would advance sophomore second baseman Garrett Knuf to second base, before senior centerfielder Will Dembski brought Knuf home after connecting with a ball up the middle. The RBI from Dembski was his fifth thus far on the season.

Unfortunately, the scoring stopped here for the home team, who fell again to the now 6-0 Puget Sound squad.

Caltech will look forward to their next matchup on Friday, Feb. 17 versus the Occidental Tigers in the Beavers' first conference matchup of 2023. Friday's game begins at 2 p.m. and will be held on the campus of Occidental College. Head coach Kevin Whitehead's group will then return to Pasadena for two home games versus the Tigers on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. All games will be streamed on the SCIAC Network.