PASADENA, Calif. (Feb. 26, 2023) – Against all expectations in the Southern California baseball world amid persistent rainfall, the Caltech baseball team successfully hosted a two-game series against the Rhinos of Southern California Leadership University and came away with a win.
Caltech picked up the win in Game 1, the team's third of the season and second in a row after defeating conference foe Occidental College at home last weekend. Saturday's first game saw the Beavers lead wire-to-wire after jumping ahead in the first inning.
After a quick three outs on defense, Caltech immediately went to work, with senior
Will Dembski singling through the left side. Sophomore
Jack Fishel then connected with the ball but wound up hitting into a fielder's choice, retiring Demsbki. Fishel stole second base shortly thereafter.
A ball put in play sophomore
Thorsen Kristufek resulted in an error by the defense, scoring Fishel and giving the home squad the 1-0 advantage in the opening frame.
The second inning seemed to mimic the first as the Beavers recorded another quick three outs on defense and scored another run at the plate. A deep double by junior
Gautam Chawla put him in scoring position before he advanced to third on a balk and then ran home on a wild pitch.
The score remained 2-0 going into the bottom of the fifth inning, which began with sophomore
Garrett Knuf singling up the middle. Rookie
Mark Hu then drew a walk before Dembski got hit by a pitch to load the bases for Fishel at the plate. A well-placed sacrifice fly to left field scored Knuf, giving the Beavers the 3-0 lead.
The top of the sixth resulted in two runs for the Rhinos, who were limited to just four hits through the first five innings thanks to impressive performance from first-year pitcher
Brendan Flaherty. Caltech then answered for both SCLU runs in the bottom half, with senior
Jack Warren singling, stealing second, advancing to third on sophomore
Cameron McNamee's single and then scoring on another wild pitch. McNamee scored the Beavers' fifth run on an RBI fielder's choice by Knuf.
With the two games being scheduled for seven innings each due to weather-related reasons, the Rhinos had just three more chances to extend the game. Caltech sent first-year
Luke Lamitina to the mound to close out the game, and he retired the SCLU batters in order via two ground outs and a strikeout. Lamitina's efforts earned him a save as he preserved the win for Flaherty.
After a short turnaround, game two was underway for one inning before heavy rain put a halt to the action, delaying the game for an hour. The teams eventually emerged from warmer shelter and finished out the game before daylight ran out. Dembski highlighted the second game with two runs scored, two hits including a triple and one run batted in.
Aidan Hamner represented the Beavers' only other run, scoring after drawing a walk. Warren connected for three more hits including a double, and Kristufek and Fishel each provided a hit for the Caltech offense, Fishel also earning an RBI.
The Beavers have a week off and then will return to their home field on Sunday, Mar. 5 to host Nebraska Wesleyan University in a doubleheader. First pitch is set for 11 a.m.
