AUSTIN, TX. – The Pomona-Pitzer Baseball team clinched their non-conference series with Concordia Texas on Saturday with a doubleheader split, 3-1 (7) and 12-13 (10). 

Season Impact: With the split, the Sagehens move to 6-3 on the year prior to the start of conference play next weekend. 

Pomona-Pitzer 3, Concordia (TX) 1 (7 innings)

The first game of the day saw the Sagehens clinch the series on the back of another stellar pitching performance in the seven-inning morning contest. After holding the Tornados offense to just one run in Friday's series opener, first-year Hannoh Seo (Los Angeles, CA / Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies) combined with sophomore Eric Prough (Walnut Creek, CA / Northgate High School) to repeat the performance. 

The Pomona-Pitzer offense strung together enough offense to hold off Concordia (TX), plating three runs on nine hits and three walks. The Sagehens would end up earning baserunners in every inning, but didn't push any across until the top of the third, when sophomore JC NG (Foster City, CA / Menlo School) lead off with a single to right and stole second with two outs. Senior Nate Jakobs (Sacramento, CA / Sacramento Country Day) drove him in with an RBI single to right center as the Sagehens took the lead. 

The Tornados would respond in the bottom half of the third inning however, when a base hit to center field came around to score on a bang-bang play at the plate. But their offense was muted by Seo, who continued his hot start to the season earning six strikeouts against just three walks and scattering four hits in five innings of work to earn the win. 

The Sagehens offense would come through again in support of Seo with two outs in the top of the fifth, however. After two outs to lead off the frame, first-year Donovan Crook (Alamo, CA / San Ramon Valley HS) and senior Caleb Millikan (Berkeley, CA / Berkeley High School) reached on a base hit and walk, respectively, to bring up sophomore Jackson Fleming (Dana Point, CA / Dana Hills HS). Fleming would capitalize with a big two-out, two-RBI double down the left field line to score both runners and give Pomona-Pitzer the decisive lead.

Prough would come on in the sixth for the two-inning save with a 3-1 lead, and earned two strikeouts of his own while stranding three Tornado runners in the final frames to seal the victory for the Sagehens.

Pomona-Pitzer 12, Concordia (TX) 13 (10 innings)

The afternoon game saw senior Eddie Rosemont (Sammamish, WA / Skyline HS) take the bump for Pomona-Pitzer in his first career start, where he went 4.1 strong innings allowing just two earned runs and earning four strikeouts without a single walk to his line, aided by a web gem double play in the top of the first turned by first-year shortstop William Kinney (Pacifica, CA / Junipero Serra HS), second baseman Millikan, and junior first baseman Isaac Kim (Valencia HS / Hart HS).

Meanwhile, the Sagehen offense would take an early lead in the top of the first inning, as NG would earn a free base on a hit by pitch and steal second and third before coming around to score on a Tornado error. Pomona-Pitzer would score again in the third and fourth innings after a Millikan RBI single scored Jakobs and an NG RBI double scored sophomore catcher Peter Savas (Pleasanton, CA / Foothill HS). However, the Tornado offense would capitalize themselves on Sagehen errors to plate unearned runs in the third and fifth innings to go along with a solo home run and a pair of RBI base hitsto take a 4-3 lead after five full frames.

The Sagehens would seem to break it open in the top of the sixth inning, with Savas and Kinney sparking the offense again from the bottom of the order with a base hit and walk followed by another NG hit by pitch to load the bases with just one out. Crook and Kim would pick up RBIs to give the Sagehens the lead before Nate Jakobs picked up a loud opposite-field triple to left field to plate two more runs and himself came around to score on a David Bedrosian (San Carlos, CA / Carlmont HS) single to right field to push the lead to 8-4. 

Senior Harry Deliyannis (Bloomington, IN, Bloomington North) held the Concordia offense in check before they punched back in the eighth inning. A HBP, two base hits, and two consecutive run-scoring bunt plays would bring the Tornadoes back to within one run with nobody out and two runners still on. A sacrifice fly would plate the tying run, but the Sagehen defense would hold after two Ks by Deliyannis and a nice relay from Kim to Fleming to Savas ended the threat in the eighth.

Pomona-Pitzer responded right away, as a leadoff walk by Jackson Fleming would open up a big top of the ninth inning. Kinney picked up the go-ahead RBI with a double down the left-field line line and was followed a few hitters later by a first-pitch RBI single to center by Isaac Kim. Jakobs, who was 4-6 with 4 RBI and 2 runs scored,  tripled for the second time in the contest to push the lead again to four runs at 12-8.

However, Concordia would have the last say on the day, picking up four runs in the 9th to send it to extras and plating the winning run in the 10th on a walk-off fielder's choice to take the final game of the series 12-13. 

Up Next: Pomona-Pitzer will return home to Southern California to open their league slate with a three-game series against Redlands with a home contest on Friday, 2/24 at 2:00 PM, followed by a road doubleheader on Saturday, 2/25 at 11:00 AM (weather permitting).