CBU Opens Weekend with a Pair of Wins Against Aggies

Friday, March 1

Riverside, Calif.

2:00 PM

California Baptist University

6-3

UC Davis

5-3

UC Davis

California Baptist

Photo by: Rayleigh Rogers

CBU Opens Weekend with a Pair of Wins Against Aggies

3/1/2024 10:00:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: Mariah Rodriguez, Assistant Director of Athletic Communications and Digital Media

RIVERSIDE--- The California Baptist Baseball program opened its weekend homestand on Friday with a doubleheader against UC Davis. The Lancers picked up a pair of wins against the Aggies, taking a 5-4 victory in the first game and a 5-1 win in the latter to improve their season record to 7-3.

The Aggies struck first to start the day as they put up an early 1-0 lead on the board with an RBI single. The Lancers responded well and tied the game in the second inning as Connor McGuire made his season debut, scoring the first run for CBU courtesy of Jake Skipworth. Mitchel Simon tacked on a pair of runs in the third inning after he homered for the third time this season, lofting the ball over 410 ft. for his 42nd career home run. Michael Carpentier put the Lancers ahead by three in the following inning with a double to right center that brought home Gunner Antillon, solidifying a 4-1 lead.

The Aggies did not go down quietly as Jack Gallagher launched a three-run home run to tie CBU going into the seventh inning. California Baptist once again responded immediately in the seventh inning as Josh Paino got things rolling with a one-out double. With the go-ahead run on second, pinch hitter Jake Brown came in clutch with a deep single to left field that brought home Paino for the win. CBU staved off any offensive attempts in the following innings from the Aggies and secured their first win of the day, as reliever Nathan Hemmerling picked up his second pitching win of the season.

The second game of the day started just like the previous as UC Davis scored right off the bat in the top of the second inning, but the Lancers would yet again respond immediately after, this time with a Ryan Kim two-run homer for the lead. CBU maintained their dominance, adding a third run to their scoreline after Paino homered to right field as starting pitcher Lukas Pirko capped a pair of back-to-back innings by cycling through six Aggies.

UC Davis had their best opportunity in the top of the seventh after putting a pair of runners on, with the tying run on first. Reliever Ryan Hetzler got CBU out of the jam after throwing three back-to-back strikeouts to thwart the Aggie's offensive chance. The Lancers shut the door in the bottom of the inning after Carpentier singled up the middle for two more RBI, securing the second win of the day 5-1.

Carpentier continues to prove his dominance for the Lancers as he boasted four hits, three RBI, and a double during his day at the plate. He owns a season .381 batting average and leads the squad with 16 hits and 12 RBI on the season. Hemmerling was also dominant from the mound as he threw three innings of relief for the Lancers and maintained his season 0.00 ERA while tossing three strikeouts.

California Baptist has now secured five straight wins and will look to continue their winning ways on Saturday evening as they host the Aggies at Totman Stadium for a 5 p.m. game.