FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ORANGE, Calif. – The No. 4 Chapman University men’s baseball team defeated No. 25 Eastern Connecticut State 5-3 at Hart Park on Friday afternoon, in a rivalry game between two perennial national championship contenders. Ironically, it was a freshman who settled this chapter of the long-standing rivalry as designated hitter Matt Pearson’s two-run seventh inning home run completed a Chapman comeback and sealed the deal for the Panthers. Chapman (16-6) took an early lead in the first inning with an RBI single from senior catcher John Alexander. However, the Warriors answered back in the fourth inning with three runs of their own, highlighted by an RBI single from Tristan Hobbes which gave EConn a 3-1 lead. Eastern Connecticut (5-7) led 3-2 in the seventh when the Panthers took charge of the game. Sophomore Kyle Redding walked to leadoff the inning and one batter later Pearson belted his second home run of the season to give Chapman the lead for good. Junior outfielder Tyler Dean gave the Panthers some cushion with an RBI single later in the same inning. Chapman’s notable performers also included Alexander, who finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBI. The comeback made a winner of senior right-hander Buddy Klovstad for the seventh time this season (7-1). Klovstad pitched into the eighth, allowing just seven hits, and was relieved by junior right-hander Devin Drag who pitched out of a jam with two runners on in the eighth. Drag closed the game in the ninth for his fifth save and has yet to allow an earned run in 24.1 innings this season.
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