PASADENA, Calif. (Feb. 18, 2023) – The Caltech baseball team picked up their first conference win of the season on Saturday after defeating Occidental College 8-6 in a back-and-forth thriller.
The Beavers secured the victory in the third and final game of the weekend series versus the Tigers, who Caltech had not beaten since April of 1973. The first game of this year's series was played on the campus of Occidental while the latter two games were held at Caltech's North Field.
The series finale began with first-year right-handed pitcher
Brendan Flaherty on the mound for the Beavers and a quick 1-0 score for the Tigers after the first half-inning.
This lead would not last long, however, as Caltech immediately went to work in their first appearances at the plate. Back-to-back-to-back singles from sophomore shortstop
Jack Fishel, senior left fielder
Jack Warren and sophomore right fielder
Thorsen Kristufek helped score senior center fielder
Will Dembski, who reached on a walk, and a bases-loaded walk scored Fishel. A ball put in play by junior third baseman
Gautam Chawla scored Kristufek to make it a 3-1 game.
The scale tipped the other way yet again not long later, as Occidental put up three runs in the third inning and another in the fourth to make it 5-3.
This would all change when Fishel came to bat in the bottom of the fourth; with one out and two runners on base, Fishel rocketed a ball over the wall in left field for a three-run home run -- his first four-bagger of the season.
With the start of the fifth inning came a new pitcher for the Beavers, first-year right-handed pitcher
Luke Lamitina. A fielding error in the inning resulted in another run for Occidental, tying the contest up at 6-6.
The game stayed a draw until the bottom of the eighth, which began with an infield hit from Chawla who beat out the throw to first base. After Chawla advanced to second on a wild pitch, sophomore second baseman
Garrett Knuf came to the plate seeking to do damage. The Laguna Niguel native smashed a ball into deep left-center field, scoring Chawla, and speeding all the way to third for his first triple of 2023.
A single to shallow centerfield by first-year outfielder
Jacob Alderete would score Knuf, making it an 8-6 ball game before the Beavers retired for the inning. Occidental was unable to score in the ninth as Dembski showed his stuff on the mound, recording the final three outs – including two strikeouts.
The game was a massive win for the program as they defeat a major conference opponent in Occidental. As a team the Beavers recorded 14 hits to Oxy's nine; Fishel and Warren led the game with three a piece. Dembski earned the win, letting up no runs and one hit. Lamitina let up one earned run and recorded three strikeouts in almost four innings.
In Game 1 of the series, the Tigers came away with the victory, despite an inspiring late-game comeback effort by Caltech. As the game seemed to be nearing its close heading into the ninth inning, the Beavers put up four runs on three hits in the final frame, including a massive RBI single from sophomore first baseman
Cameron McNamee to score Dembski. A bases-loaded walk put the Beavers within five, which was immediately followed by a monstrous double by Knuf. The hit scored two more runs, but a play at the plate would end Caltech's magical run, giving the Tigers their final out and the 9-6 win.
Despite the result, Caltech earned 12 hits in the contest — three of which came from Knuf and another three by way of Warren. Seven Beavers registered at least one hit across the nine innings. Knuf and Chawla led the team in RBIs with two. Warren recorded one, as did McNamee.
The second game was again Occidental's, despite an impressive late-game RBI single by first-year outfielder
Sayuj Choudhari. Dembski was perfect at the plate in the game, connecting for hits in both of his at-bats.
Next up for Caltech is a pair of home games against the Rhinos of Southern California Leadership University on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Both games will be streamed on the SCIAC Network.
