The Pomona-Pitzer men’s baseball team went 2-3 over the past two weeks, winning their season series over the La Verne Leos 2-1, but not faring quite as well against their other opponents. The Hens dropped a game to NAIA opponent Westmont College, and also lost to Point Loma of Nazrene, bringing their overall record to 19-16 and their SCIAC record to 10-8. The wins over SCIAC opponent La Verne were very important for the Sagehens, who needed to take the series to remain competitive in the conference. Those wins also give the Hens momentum going into the series against Claremont that begins here on Friday.

Joseph Koch Nick Bulaich ’01 tees off on a meaty fastball. Bulaich (Pomona-Pitzer’s starting catcher) has helped the Sagehens often lately with his strong hitting, knocking in runs right and left, and scoring a few of his own.

Game one of the series saw the Hens lose 10-4. The defense gave up three errors and five runs in the fifth inning of the loss. The Hens own four runs were scattered in a series of brief rallies. David Sawhill scored a run in the 4th inning off a double by Luke Smude ’02. Rollin Dickinson ’01 scored in the 5th off a triple by Alex Siele ’02 as did Siele off Sawhill’s sacrifice fly. The Hens’ final run occurred in the 8th inning when Robert Ruiz ’03 hit a sacrifice allowing Nick Bulaich ’01 to score.
Playing at home on Saturday, the Hens took both games of the double-header off La Verne. In game one, the score was tied 2-2 until the top of the 6th inning when the Leos went ahead by one run. The Hens answered by scoring 2 runs in the 6th inning to reclaim the lead and then 3 runs in the 8th inning to secure the victory.

Of the victories, Smude said, "We were all looking for a little redemption after that first loss. A lot of guys came out strong on offense and defense. We were swinging the bats well and had a good guy helping us out on the mound. Gilbert pitched a great game."

The pitching performance that Smude refers to here is that of freshman Sean Gilbert, who pitched all nine innings giving up only two earned runs and no extra-base hits.

The Hens offense faired much better than the Leos. They had 14 hits, six of which came from Ryan Gould ’00, and Jose Cortez ’03. The two had identical stat lines: both hit 3-4 with 1 double, 1 run scored, and 1 RBI each. Cortez has been hitting better than any player in SCIAC and is currently batting well over .400.
In game two of the double-header, Pomona-Pitzer took an early lead scoring 2 runs in the 2nd inning and 3 runs in the 3rd. La Verne remained scoreless until the 9th inning when they tried to make a comeback, but the Hens quelled their efforts with good pitching and solid defense. Cortez continued his hitting streak batting 2-4, with 2 RBI’s and 1 home run. In the Sagehens’ two wins he was 5-8.

Bulaich also went 2-4 with 2 RBI’s in the winning effort. Pitcher Spike Einsiedler ‘02 completed the game, allowing no earned runs, no extra base hits, and only 1 walk to go with 4 strike outs. Of the outing the soft-spoken Einseidler said, "I just go out there and throw the pitches I’m told to. Today I was pretty accurate and the calls were good." Complete games are becoming run of the mill for Einsiedler. "I generally throw better as the game goes on because my arm warms up as I go," the pitcher commented.
On Thursday, the Sagehens lost to Westmont College. Highlights for the Hens included Ruiz and Gould hitting 2-4 each. Ruiz hit a triple and scored a run, and Gould had an RBI.

On Wednesday, the Hens lost a nail-biter to Point Loma. Brad Carmody ’03 sparked a comeback with a two-run homerun in the fifth to bring the Hens from 10-2 deficit, to 10-4. This momentum carried into the seventh, when Jose Cortez once again stepped up with a grand slam homerun to bring the Hens within one run. With the game tied at 12-12 in the eighth and the Hens in the field, the bases were loaded with two outs, and Point Loma jacked a grand slam of their own for the win.

First baseman Smude commented on the 16-12 loss, saying, "We came out a little flat and then fought back. It was a really exciting game and definitely a lot of fun to play in. Point Loma’s field is considered to be one of the most scenic in the country. It was a good outing for us. We built enough momentum to play a good game this weekend."

Einsiedler spoke to the game’s pitching: "Our pitchers weren’t throwing strikes. Our staff had ten walks in the first five innings and three hit batsmen. That was our main weakness against them. That’s why we lost. Otherwise, we had a great time out there. Now we’re focusing on the CMS series, trying to get geared up for it."

The team’s lone senior, Gould, who had a good hitting day against Point Loma, discussed the team’s play of late and his own current offensive tear. "I’m feeling pretty good at the plate," Gould said, "I think anytime someone starts swinging the bat well it’s really good for the team. I’m just trying to set as good an example as I can as the only senior on this team. We’re playing really well. Our defense, offense and pitching are all strong. We’ve got a lot of confidence going into the CMS series." In Gould’s four years as a Sagehen he has yet to win the CMS series.

Pomona-Pitzer’s men’s baseball team will play what most consider to be the biggest series of their season this weekend. On Friday (April 28) the Hens host Claremont-M-S in a single game and on Saturday (April 29) the Stags host the Sagehens in a double header.