LA VERNE, CA – University of Rochester baseball scored double-double runs for the fourth-consecutive outing, opening their three-game set against La Verne University with an 11-9 win over the Leopards on Thursday afternoon at Ben Hines Field.
The 'Jackets totaled 11 runs on 12 hits, with Aaron Whitley pacing UR with a four-hit afternoon, going 4-for-5 with a home run, double, two runs scored and an RBI, as UR tallied five extra-base hits, walked once and struck out just five times against La Verne.
Josh Leadem got the Yellowjackets started with a leadoff single in the top of the first, taking second on Ethan Galindo's balk and third on Joseph Rende's groundout before Jackson Reed gave Rochester an early lead with a sacrifice fly to left.
The 'Jackets then would get right back to it in the top of the second, after Nolan Sparks struck out the side in the bottom of the inning, working around a one-out single and error.
Whitley picked up his first extra-base hit with one out in the second, doubling down the left-field line to put a runner in scoring position for UR. Luke Gregory followed with an RBI single, scoring Whitley to make it 2-0 'Jackets, before Alec Ellison put runners at the corners for Dan Tirabassi, who flew out to center, scoring Gregory to extend UR's lead to 3-0.
The Leopards would get one back in the bottom of the second on Aiden Salcedo's RBI single, scoring Nathan Perry from third to cut the lead to 3-1. And La Verne looked to add more with two on, but Leadem threw Salcedo out at home trying to score on Anthony Salcedo's single, and Sparks then got Chase Siffert to fly out to get out of the inning and strand a pair.
But after Rochester couldn't push a run across in the top of the third, standing Colton Avera after a two-out double, La Verne leveled the score in the bottom of the frame.
A walk, hit-by-pitch and infield, bunt single loaded the bases for the Leopards, and while Sparks got the next batter swinging, a fielding error on Benny Vogel's grounder brought the first run of the inning home, and Aiden Salcedo followed with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Logan Reese to even the score at 3-all.
Sparks though, kept things level at three with a groundout, and the 'Jackets would put up a crooked number in the fourth to re-extend their lead.
Whitley led off the top of the fourth with a solo shot to left-center, and after both Gregory and Ellison reached on errors, Tirabassi reached on the Leopards' third-straight defensive miscues of the inning, scoring Gregory to make it a 5-3 UR lead.
Leadem followed with a single to center, and then Rende hit a sacrifice fly to short, as the 'Jackets scored five unearned runs in the top of the fourth, taking advantage of three Leopard errors to take an 8-3 lead on Reed's sacrifice fly, UR's second sacrifice of the inning.
La Verne would get two back in the bottom of the frame, chasing Sparks after Perry's RBI single, but Thomas Karpishin got Vogel to groundout to strand a pair and keep UR in front, 8-5.
Rochester added another run in the top of the fifth on Leadem's bases-loaded hit-by-pitch, but a bases-loaded groundout kept UR from stretching its lead any further, and La Verne would cut the deficit back to just one with three runs in the bottom of the stanza.
Taking advantage of two UR errors, the Leopards plated three, two on Noah Garcia's sacrifice fly and another on Reese's ground ball, cutting UR's lead to 9-8.
But the Yellowjacket 'pen kept La Verne from pulling any closer, and Karpishin and Thomas Blaydes combined to pitch a pair of 1-2-3 innings over the sixth and seventh to settle the Leopards down headed to the eighth.
Rochester added two insurance runs in the top of the eighth on Reed's RBI fielder's choice, scoring Leadem from third following a leadoff hit-by-pitch, groundout and throwing error, while John Moses brought home Reed with an RBI triple, extending UR's lead to 11-8.
Garcia would quickly cut the deficit back to two with a solo homer to lead off the bottom of the eighth, but Blaydes worked out of the eighth without any more damage, and though La Verne threatened in the ninth, bringing the game-winning run to the plate, Mark Aaronson got Garcia to groundout to end the threat and finish off the 11-9 victory.
Rochester moves to 6-3 with the win, while the Leopards drop to 8-6 with the loss.
Karpishin (1-0) earned the win, allowing three runs, two earned, over 2.1 innings pitched, while Aaronson notched his second save of the year, allowing two hits over his inning of work.
Galindo (2-1) took the loss for La Verne, allowing five runs on six hits over 3.0 innings pitched, while Sparks, who got the start for UR, allowed five runs, four earned, on eight hits over 3.2 innings pitched.
Whitley led UR at the plate, while Leadem and Moses also tallied multi-hit performances, with Leadem going 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBI, while Moses went 2-for-5 with a triple, run scored and RBI.
The 'Jackets will wrap up their three-game set against La Verne and their time in California on Saturday, March 11 with a doubleheader at Ben Hines Field beginning at 11:00 a.m. PT.