BALTIMORE, Md. – The Pomona-Pitzer baseball team split a Saturday doubleheader to advance to Sunday's Regional Final, falling 7-5 to Johns Hopkins before bouncing back with a 19-8 win over Pfeiffer on Saturday afternoon at Johns Hopkins.
Season Impact: With the split, the Sagehens move to 33-13 overall and advance to the Regional Final, where they will need to defeat Johns Hopkins twice to earn a trip to the NCAA Super Regional.
Pomona-Pitzer 5, Johns Hopkins 7
The Sagehens were led by Kai Gonzaga, who went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Cooper Berry finished 2-for-5 with a three-run home run. Jack Gold also added a multi-hit game with a 2-for-4 performance, while Peter Savas and Will Parker each tallied a hit in the loss.
Wade Lawson got the start and pitched 6.2 innings, allowing three runs while striking out four in a no-decision. Dean Hoshide followed with an inning of scoreless relief, while Eli Della Bitta was charged with the loss.
The Blue Jays took the game's first lead with a three-run homer in the third inning to go ahead 3-0. Johns Hopkins maintained that advantage until the sixth, when Berry drove in Pomona-Pitzer's first run on a groundout to trim the deficit to 3-1.
Berry then delivered a go-ahead three-run homer to right field in the eighth inning to give the Sagehens a 4-3 lead heading into the ninth. Johns Hopkins answered with a clutch solo home run in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game at 4-4.
Pomona-Pitzer regained the lead in the 10th after Gonzaga launched a go-ahead solo homer to make it 5-4. However, the Blue Jays responded once again with a game-tying home run before walking off the win later in the inning to force the Sagehens into an elimination game.
Pomona-Pitzer 19, Pfeiffer 8
The Sagehens quickly turned their attention to Pfeiffer, where Greg Pierantoni led the offense with a 4-for-5 performance and three RBIs. Peter Savas and Tanner DeGrazia each collected three hits, while Lando Hu added two hits and five RBIs. Gonzaga, Berry, and Parker also contributed hits in the victory.
Devin Saltzgaber earned the win after entering in relief during the first inning with the Sagehens trailing by five runs. Saltzgaber pitched 6.2 innings and allowed just two runs on nine scattered hits while striking out three. Isaac Aguirre closed out the game with 1.2 innings of relief, surrendering only one run.
The Falcons came out swinging and plated five runs in the opening inning to put the Sagehens in an early hole. Pomona-Pitzer answered immediately in the bottom half, cutting the deficit to 5-4 after an RBI single from Pierantoni and a three-run blast to right field from Hu.
The Sagehens tied the game in the fourth on Parker's solo home run before breaking things wide open with an eight-run fifth inning. The rally was highlighted by an RBI from Lateef Wakil and a grand slam from Gonzaga, giving Pomona-Pitzer a commanding 13-5 lead.
Pomona-Pitzer continued to pile on in the sixth inning as Pierantoni added a solo homer, while RBIs from Parker, Gold, Gonzaga, and Savas helped push the Sagehens to 19 runs and secure a trip to the Regional Final.
Up Next: The Sagehens will take on Johns Hopkins on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. If Pomona-Pitzer wins the opener, a winner-take-all game for a berth in the NCAA Super Regional will follow immediately afterward.
