PASADENA, Calif. – The Caltech baseball team welcomed the University of Chicago Maroons to the North Field Friday afternoon, coming up short as the visitors picked up a 7-0 victory in the first game of their 2025 season.
The game opened up quickly as first-year and starting pitcher Kenji Farrell walked the leadoff hitter Braden Jirovec. The next two batters flew out and were hit by a pitch and set up the Maroons first opportunity to score. A sacrifice fly to center field by first baseman Max Weisner made it 1-0 UChicago after one.
In the second inning, more traffic was on the bases for Farrell as he hit and walked each of the first two batters of the inning. After getting a flyout, designated hitter Brady Miller ripped a double, scoring both of the two runners on base and making it 3-0 early.
The bottom of the second inning summed up how the game went offensively for the Beavers. Third baseman Mark Hu (San Jose, Calif. / The Harker School) singled to start the inning and was followed by shortstop Brendan Flaherty (Narragansett, RI / Lake Forest Academy) who was hit by a pitch. A passed ball moved the runners to second and third base with no outs, but starting pitcher for UChicago Hayden Leiderman fanned the next three hitters to escape the jam.
The fifth inning saw the Beavers with their best chance in the game to get some runs. Designated hitter Sayouj Choudhari (Buffalo Grove, Ill. / Adlai E. Stevenson) reached on an error, catcher Edward Speer (Austin, Texas / Leander) was hit by a pitch, and centerfielder Jack Fishel (Baltimore, Md. / Boys' Latin School of Maryland) ripped a single up the middle to load the bases with two outs for right fielder Thorsen Kristufek (McKinney, Texas / McKinney). Kristufek struck out on three pitches, ending the threat.
Reliever Varun Gabbita entered the game in the fifth inning and was able to slow down the Maroons offense which had scored four runs in four innings. Gabbita went 4.2 innings striking out five, walking one, and allowing three earned runs, two of which came in the top of the ninth inning.
Offensively, Jack Fishel led the team in hits with two, one being in the third inning and the other being in the fifth inning. Mark Hu had the only other hit for the Beavers as they ended Friday with three hits.
Head Coach Kevin Whitehead and his Beavers will look to rebound tomorrow as they will face UChicago again for a doubleheader. The first game is scheduled for 11 a.m. and the second game is scheduled for 2 p.m., both games being played at home on North Field.
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