Lancers Stay Perfect in WAC Play, With 6-2 Win Over Tarleton State

Friday, March 26

Riverside, Calif.

6 PM

California Baptist University

12-6, 5-0

Tarleton State

8-14, 1-4

Tarleton State

California Baptist

Photo by: Reagan Lee

Lancers Stay Perfect in WAC Play, With 6-2 Win Over Tarleton State

3/26/2021 8:45:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: Andrew Shortall, Director of Athletics Communications

RIVERSIDE – California Baptist University baseball maintained its first-place standing and undefeated record in the Western Athletic Conference, with a 6-2 win in its series opener over Tarleton State on Friday.

The Lancers got another quality start from ace pitcher Chris Burica and big contributions offensively at Totman Stadium. CBU put together 10 hits, with Nick Plaia, John Glenn and Connor Clift all logging a pair. Glenn landed the big blow of the game, with a three-run homer.

👋 𝘐𝘛'𝘚 𝘎𝘖𝘕𝘌 👋

John Glenn blows this game open with a three-run 💣

It's home run #️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ of Glenn's career. #LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/WemLxugPvW
— California Baptist Baseball (@CBUbaseball) March 27, 2021

CBU improves to 12-6 and 5-0 in the WAC with the win to remain the only undefeated team in conference play. Tarleton State drops to 8-14 and 1-4. Sacramento State is not far off the Lancers in second place at 8-1, while NM State is in third at 7-2. Grand Canyon is close in fourth, as well, at 6-2.

Burica struck out a career-high 10 batters to tie for the second-most in a game in CBU's NCAA Division I era. He gave up just one run on five hits and no walks, as his shutout-inning streak came to an end at 32 innings after the Texans hit a solo homer in the fifth.

The Lancers' pitchers gave up just one walk in the game, as Spencer Bengard closed out the final two innings. He allowed just one run on two hits and a walk.

PLAY-BY-PLAY
Plaia got CBU on the board first in the fourth inning. He led off the inning with a triple and then scored on Damon Keith's sacrifice fly.

🗣 GO, NICK, GO❗️

Nick Plaia scores the first run of the game after a leadoff triple in the fourth. #LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/oQHIR6bGH4
— California Baptist Baseball (@CBUbaseball) March 27, 2021

Tarleton State tied the game with a solo homer in the fifth, but the Lancers went back out in front in the bottom half of the inning. Consecutive one-out singles from Harrison Spohn and Clift put runners at the corners. Grady Tuohy brought Spohn home with a single through the right side to make it 2-1.

Glenn gave the Lancers some breathing room with a three-run homer in the sixth to bring the score to 5-1. Keith and Ulises Caballero scored after they singled and doubled their way on board, respectively.

🤯🤯🤯

NICK PLAIA, WHAT⁉#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/9cT2YaMGh8
— California Baptist Baseball (@CBUbaseball) March 27, 2021

The Texans scored their second run in the eighth, but it could have been worse if not for an amazing leaping catch at the center field fence from Plaia. CBU got that run back on an RBI single from Clift in the bottom of the eighth, which capped the scoring.

BURICA'S BRINGING IT
Burica was back to his old tricks at Totman Stadium, fresh off throwing the Lancers' first complete-game shutout of the Division I era last week at Cal. Friday marked the fifth-straight start he has thrown at least through the seventh inning.

🔥🔥🔥

Chris Burica turns in another quality start. He gives up just one run on five hits and no walks in seven innings. He struck out a career-high 10 to tie for the second-most in a game in CBU's NCAA Division I era.#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/kZ6KUz9Zdf
— California Baptist Baseball (@CBUbaseball) March 27, 2021

It improved his season record to 4-1. His four wins this season are tied for the WAC lead with Sacramento State's Scott Randall and The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley's Colten Davis. His 39 strikeouts this season rank second in the conference, two behind Randall's league-leading 41.

This most recent outing lowered his season ERA to 2.36, his WHIP to 0.83 and his opposing batting average to .193. His 10 strikeouts were six off the Lancers' modern-era record and three off the Division I era record.

We love when Chris Burica is on the mound.#LanceUp⚔️ pic.twitter.com/GFz8U3VX9p
— California Baptist Baseball (@CBUbaseball) March 27, 2021

UP NEXT
The Lancers and Texans continue their series with a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday at Totman Stadium. The weekend will come to a close with a 11 a.m. game on Sunday.