Sophomore infielder Connor Moffatt (Charleston, W.Va. / George Washington) picked up five hits, walked four times, scored once and knocked one run in as the Caltech baseball team fell to Claremont-Mudd-hScripss Colleges three times this weekend in the Beavers’ first taste of SCIAC action this season. He picked up a hit in each of Caltech’s […]
Sophomore infielder Connor Moffatt (Charleston, W.Va. / George Washington) picked up five hits, walked four times, scored once and knocked one run in as the Caltech baseball team fell to Claremont-Mudd-hScripss Colleges three times this weekend in the Beavers’ first taste of SCIAC action this season. He picked up a hit in each of Caltech’s three games spread across Saturday and Sunday to extend his hitting streak to 11 games dating back to last season. He has hit in every game the Beavers have played in 2017.
Game 1: CMS 4, Caltech 3
Sophomore starter Jonah Krop (Santa Monica, Calif. / Santa Monica) and the Beavers fought tooth and nail with the Stags throughout the entirety of the Saturday game. Krop pitched four innings of no-hit baseball before surrendering a two-run shot to CMS outfielder Deji Andrew that sailed over the left field fence. The home run marked the only hit Krop gave up in five innings of work. He also struck out three batters. Senior Garrett Levine (Columbus, Ohio / Columbus Academy) moved over from the DH spot to relieve Krop but gave up two runs on three hits and ultimately took the loss. Levine did, however stake the Beavers to a two-run lead in the very first inning, knocking in Moffatt on a double to left-center field before being driven in by freshman Cortland Perry (New York, N.Y. / The Dalton School). Still, Caltech had a golden opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the ninth. Junior shortstop Chris McCarren (Kenilworth, Ill. / North Shore Country Day) stepped into the batters box with senior Schaeffer Reed (Miami, Fla. / Westminster Christian) on third and junior first baseman David Watson (Windsor, Colo. / Windsor) on second with one out remaining. The junior struck out on judgment call from the home plate umpire, who ruled that McCarren’s bat went around far enough to register a third swinging strike.
Game 2: CMS 5, Caltech 0
The least eventful of the weekend’s three games, the Beavers failed to register any runs in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader. Senior right fielder Harrison Jacobs (Tucson, Ariz. / Catalina Foothills), who made a lay-out grab in right field the day before stepped up at the plate to lead the Beavers with two hits in three at-bats to go with a walk. His first hit of the day came on a double through the left side in the top of the third inning, which ended up being Caltech’s best opportunity to turn its hits into runs. However, senior Mark Burleson (Ladera Ranch, Calif. / Tesoro) grounded out to leave two runners stranded. Senior Kai Kirk (San Jose, Calif. / St. Paul’s (Wesleyan Univ.)) took the loss on the mound and gave up four runs on seven hits in six innings of work. He also struck out two. Freshman Grant Messner (Lake Forest, Ill. / Lake Forest) relieved him in the seventh inning and utilized his high-eighties fastball to rack up three strikouts in two innings. Caltech left nine runners on base over the nine-inning game.
Game 3: CMS 6, Caltech 3
Much like the first game of the weekend series, the Beavers hung tough with the Stags for the game’s entirety. Cortland Perry, who is normally Caltech’s usual second baseman, made his first career start for the Beavers (he previously appeared in a relief role against La Sierra University). Perry looked unfased by the moment from the first pitch on and started especially strong with three strikeouts in his first two innings of work. Through six innings, Perry looked poised to come away with Caltech’s first quality start of the season, but ran into trouble in the seventh inning when he allowed three hits and a walk before leaving the game with one out to go in the inning and the bases loaded. Senior Tim Menninger (Norristown, Pa. / Chestnut Hill Academy), who pitched 3.1 clean innings last weekend against Providence Christian College relieved Perry. While he gave up just one hit on the day, the hit proved to be a costly one as CMS first baseman Nick DeGallier cracked a double into left-center field to clear the bases. Trailing by five runs, Caltech came up to bat in the eighth inning determined to put some runs on the board. Perry, who remained in the game as the designated hitter, doubled down the right field line to score McCarren, and crossed home plate later in the inning when Jacobs sent him home with a single into center field. Trailing by three runs going in the ninth inning, the Beavers failed to recapture the offense displayed in the eighth inning and lost to the Stags for the third time in two days. Perry’s final pitching line included 6 and two-thirds innings of work, six earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts. He also gave up a solo home run to Chase Eller in the third inning.
Head Coach Matthew Mark and the Beavers will have a one-off with Bates College this Thursday before turning their attention to a three-game weekend series with the University of La Verne.
