LA VERNE, Calif. --- Linfield baseball (4-2) dropped both games of their first doubleheader of the season, now needing to win tomorrow's season finale to split the series with La Verne (2-2). 
 
GAME ONE
 
After a clean first inning and navigated a pair of base runners in the second, Linfield starter Jack Williams (1-1) get into some trouble in the third. A leadoff single came around to score the first of five runs in the home third for La Verne, capped off by a three-run shot to take an early lead.
 
Rylan Gulard led off the fourth for the Wildcats with a deep triple to center, scoring on a Wyatt McClory sacrifice fly to make it 5-1. Garrett Hames let up one in the fifth and two in the sixth as he came in relief for Williams who tossed four innings in Saturday's first game of the doubleheader.
 
La Verne led by as many as 10-1 before Linfield could plate four in the top of the eighth. Ely Kennel smashed a homer to left, scoring Kister who opened with a walk. Wyatt Hurley then doubled with one out, scoring McClory and Gulard. The five-run third inning for La Verne proved to be too much for the 'Cats, as the hosts took game one, 10-5.
 
Gulard, Kennel and Hurley proved all of the team's six hits, as well as four of five runs batted in. Linfield stranded eight runners and struck out nine times.
 
GAME TWO
 
Kennel and Kister led off the afternoon match up with a pair of singles, each scoring on a McClory single to grab a quick 2-0 lead. La Verne matched with two runs of their own in the home half of the first, able to knock Wildcat starter Colton Ouellette out of the game after two innings.
 
After the Leopards took a 4-2 lead, Gulard's strong weekend continued with a triple to right center, his second of the day, scoring Kister. Gulard came in on a Hurley sacrifice fly, once again knotting the score at 4-4.
 
Gulard reached back on a two-out single in the fifth, helping bring Kister after a throwing error. La Verne tied it up in the fifth, before adding four runs in the sixth off of Casey Struckmeier. Linfield was unable to get a hit over the final three innings, while La Verne piled on seven more runs to take game two, 16-5.
 
Gulard went 2-5 at the dish, while McClory led the team with two runs batted in. 
 
Baseball wraps up the four-game set against the Leopards tomorrow at 11 a.m. with hopes of splitting the series.
 
To follow Linfield Wildcats coverage all season long, visit golinfieldwildcats.com. Please consider following Linfield Athletics on Facebook, and @LinfieldSports on Instagram and X.com. 
 
  Read Full Article