LA VERNE, CA – University of Rochester baseball split the final doubleheader of their spring trip against La Verne University, bouncing back from a 7-2, game-one defeat to defeat the Leopards in game two, 9-8. With the split, UR moves to 7-4 on the year and wraps up its spring trip with three series wins, and a 6-3 record across the nine games. La Verne, with the split, falls to 9-7 on the year.
 
GAME 1: La Verne 7, Rochester 2
After Joseph Rende worked a one-out walk but was left stranded in the top of the first, the Leopards struck first in the bottom of the frame. Back-to-back singles by Anthony Salcedo and Luke Garcia put two on and nobody out for the Leopards, who quickly took the lead on a wild pitch and passed ball.
 
La Verne would add another run in the inning on Cameron Slessor's sacrifice fly, but Trevor Van Allen struck out Malachi Francois to stand a pair, and keep the Leopards' lead at just two.
 
However, after Gerald Terry worked a 1-2-3 second, the Leopards took advantage of a defensive miscue to add another run to their tally in the bottom of the frame.
 
Terry would continue to silence the Yellowjacket bats over the next six frames, as the graduate student allowed just three hits and struck out 10 over 8.0 innings pitched.
 
Van Allen settled things down, working around a leadoff single to keep the Leopards off the scoreboard in the third, but La Verne would push another run across in the fourth on Logan Reese's RBI single to make it 4-0.
 
Luke Gregory picked up Rochester's first hit in the top of the fifth but was left stranded at second, but Van Allen worked a 1-2-3 fifth with some help from a 6-4-3 double play to keep La Verne's lead at just four.
 
However, the Leopards would chase Van Allen in the sixth and add two more runs to their tally, extending their lead to 6-0 on a pair of RBI singles by Anthony Salcedo and Reese.
 
Rochester finally got its offense going in the eighth, as John Moses led off the inning with a double to right. Terry got the next two batters via a fly out and strikeout, but Dan Tirabassi sliced a two-out double down the right-field line, scoring Moses to make it a 6-1 La Verne lead.
 
The Leopards would get it right back in the bottom of the eighth on Reese's sacrifice fly, his third RBI of the game, and while the 'Jackets would plate one in the top of the ninth on Colton Avera's groundout, Chase Pederson closed the door for La Verne to give the Leopards a 7-2 victory.
 
Terry (4-2) earned the win for La Verne, while Van Allen (0-1) took the loss for UR, allowing six runs, four earned, on eight hits, striking out five over 5.1 innings pitched.
 
Mangus Silvertson pitched 2.2 innings out of the 'pen, allowing just one run on two hits.
 
At the plate, Avera and Tirabassi each tallied RBI, but the 'Jackets were limited to just four hits.
 
GAME 2: Rochester 9, La Verne 8
Rochester's lineup would heat up for game two though and quickly took the lead with three runs in the top of the first. Josh Leadem smacked a leadoff double and moved up 90 feet with a steal of third before Rende drew a walk to put runners at the corners with nobody out.
 
Jackson Reed then singled through the right side, scoring Leadem to give UR a 1-0 lead. And while Benny Vogel got the next two via a strikeout and flyout, Gregory came up clutch with two outs, lacing a two-run double down the left-field line to score both Rende and Reed and give Rochester a 3-0 lead.
 
That would be all Dillon Bevan needed for much of the early going, as the junior allowed just one run on three hits over his 5.0 innings of work. Bevan worked around a one-out single in the first, stranded two base runners in the second and pitched a 1-2-3 third before UR added to its lead in the top of the fourth.
 
Aaron Whitley smacked a leadoff double to left, and after Gregory's sacrifice bunt moved him to third, Jacob Matzat brought him home with an RBI double down the left-field line, extending UR's lead to 4-0.
 
The Leopards would get on the scoreboard against Bevan on Nathan Perry's RBI triple in the bottom of the fourth, but Bevan got a flyout and groundout to strand Perry at third, keeping the 'Jackets' lead at 4-1.
 
Rochester added another run in the top of the fifth on Reed's RBI single, scoring Leadem from second after a leadoff single and stolen base.
 
Up 5-1, Bevan worked 1-2-3 fifth, but the Leopards got things going against Rochester's bullpen, scoring one in the sixth and two in the seventh to pull within two.
 
The 'Jackets added one more in the top of the seventh on Whitley's RBI single, scoring Rende after another leadoff single. But La Verne scratched two across in the bottom of the inning to make it a two-run game, and after a scoreless eighth, the two sides headed to the final frame separated by just two runs.
 
Thomas Blaydes worked around a pair of base runners to keep La Verne off the scoreboard in the bottom of the eighth, bringing Rochester up to the plate one final time, where they plated two, crucial insurance runs.
 
With one, Rende singled up the middle and advanced to second on a wild pitch. The Leopards made their first of two calls to the bullpen, bringing in Stephan Vasquez, but a walk and Moses' groundout put runners at second and third for Whitley.
 
Whitley drew another walk to load the bases for Gregory, who smacked a two-run single to center, scoring both Rende and Reed to make it an 8-4 lead.
 
And the Yellowjackets would need every last one of those insurance runs, as the Leopards scored a pair to pull within two, 8-6, on Ryan Vosika's RBI double, and loaded the bases, bringing the game-winning run 180 feet away from scoring, but Aidan Cooney struck Jarin Ching to leave the bases loaded and help UR escape with the 8-7 victory.
 
Bevan (1-1) earned the win for UR, allowing one run on three hits, striking out three over 5.0 innings pitched. Vogel (0-1) took the loss for La Verne, allowing four runs on six hits over 4.0 innings pitched.
 
Out of the bullpen, Blaydes worked 1.2 IP scoreless, allowing just two hits.
 
At the plate, five 'Jackets tallied multi-hit days: Gregory went 2-for-4 with a double and 4 RBI, Matzat went 2-for-4 with a double and RBI, Rende went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, Reed went 2-for-3 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI and Whitley went 2-for-4 with a double, walk, run scored and RBI.
 
The Yellowjackets now return home and will next host SUNY Brockport at Towers Field on Wednesday, March 22 at 3:30 p.m.