With a shot at the playoffs still hanging in the balance, the Sagehens came up big this past weekend with two key wins over SCIAC foes Caltech and Redlands. Even though Redlands locked up the SCIAC title and an automatic spot in the playoffs with a win over CMS on Saturday, Pomona-Pitzer greatly improved their chances at an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament with their 5-2 win over the 18th-ranked Bulldogs.
With their minds focused on Sunday’s showdown with Redlands, the Sagehens first had to get through winless Caltech on the road. The Sagehens had already beaten the Beavers three times this season pretty handily, but the Beavers came out strong and opened up a three-run lead in the second. That lead would not last long, however, as the Sagehens scored in each of the last six innings to come out with a 14-7 victory. Nick Frederick PO ’11 had yet another strong day at the plate, finishing 3-6 with four RBIs. Erik Munzer PZ ’13 kept his hot streak going and brought in three runs of his own.
From the very beginning, Sunday’s matchup had all the makings of a great game. Both sides had a lot riding on the game, with the Saghens looking for a marquee win over a ranked opponent and the Bulldogs needing only one win to clinch sole possession of the SCIAC title. To make things even more interesting, staff ace David Colvin PZ ’11 was slated to face off against the Bulldogs #2 pitcher Kyle Hart, who was riding an eight-game winning streak. Both sides knew the game would be close, but luckily for the Hens, Colvin took control early and didn’t let up until he recorded the last out himself.
Colvin showed once again why he is the team's #1 pitcher, and why Coach Frank Pericolosi calls his number in big game situations. He managed to keep the prolific Bulldog hitters off-balance for most of the game and collected his fourth complete game victory of the season. He let his defense do the work behind him and scattered eight hits over his nine innings of work, surrendering only two walks. Colvin improved his career record against Redlands to 6-0 and his season record to 8-2. More importantly, Colvin delivered yet again in the clutch when the Hens needed a big win.
Colvin couldn’t do it all by himself, and he had to rely on his offensive counterparts to provide some run support. The Sagehen hitters didn’t let Colvin down. P-P jumped out to an early three-run lead in the bottom of the first, thanks to a three-run blast off the bat of hot-hitting Munzer. Like Colvin, Munzer has come up big for the Sagecocks in high-pressure situations as of late, bringing in the winning run in last weekend’s matchup with CMS. Timmy Novom PO ’14 and Mike Moyer PO ’13 scored on the play. The Sagehens added runs in the sixth and the seventh to put the game out of reach for the Bulldogs.
This weekend P-P faces off against two more SCIAC rivals, Occidental and Cal Lutheran, with a chance to add two more wins to their playoff resume.
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