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CALIFORNIA - The University of Chicago Maroons baseball team enjoyed a dominant 4-0 performance on their trip to California, showing excellent offense, defense, and pitching. The team displayed impressive balance across all facets of the game, earning shutout victories and thrilling wins to open their 2025 season on a high note.
Game 1: February 14, 2025 - UChicago 7, Caltech 0
The Maroons kicked off their California trip with a solid 7-0 win over Caltech. UChicago struck early, taking a 3-0 lead in the second inning thanks to Brady Miller's one-run double. From there, the offense continued to roll.
Pitching was the story of the day as Hayden Leiderman took the mound, throwing six shutout innings while striking out nine and allowing three hit. The Maroons' defense was strong, and the offense capitalized on Caltech's mistakes to cruise to a 7-0 victory.
Game 2: February 15, 2025 - UChicago 6, Caltech 3
UChicago defeated Caltech 6-3 in the first game of a doubleheader behind as they scored four runs in the ninth inning to pull away from a tight contest. UChicago struck early in the first inning when Erik Rindner singled to left field, bringing in Braden Jirovec to take a 1-0 lead. In the fourth, Nathan Bae added another run with a solo home run to left field, pushing the lead to 2-0. Caltech cut the deficit in the sixth when Jack Fishel singled to center, driving in Jacob Alderete to make it 2-1.
The game remained close until the eighth when Caltech tied the game at 2-2. Alderete reached on a single, advancing to second on a fielding error, and then scored when L. Alderete grounded out to shortstop. However, UChicago responded in the top of the ninth. Jack Sharp reached base on a fielder's choice, and Richard Lu scored on a throwing error to give UChicago a 3-2 lead. Jackson Slipock then tripled to right center, bringing in Jirovec and Sharp to extend the lead to 5-3. Max Weisner followed with a groundout that scored Slipock, giving UChicago a 6-3 advantage. Grant Tenuta earned the win with a solid inning of relief, while Kason Pelz secured the save. UChicago's strong bullpen, combined with key late-game hits, ensured the victory.
Caltech's pitching, notably from Brendan Flaherty, was strong through eight innings, but the late errors and mistakes cost them the game. Despite collecting four hits, Caltech could not capitalize on their opportunities, and UChicago's late surge sealed the win.
Game 3: February 15, 2025 - UChicago 8, Caltech 7
The game opened with UChicago scoring two runs in the top of the first. Jack Goldstein delivered a two-RBI double to center field, plating Nathan Bae and Eric Rindner for an early 2-0 lead. However, Caltech quickly responded in the bottom half of the inning. Jacob Alderete scored after a single by T. Kristufek, putting the score at 2-1.
In the second inning, the game erupted into a back-and-forth contest. Caltech put up five runs, including two-run doubles by M. Hu and Kristufek, pushing them ahead 6-2. UChicago came back in the third, with Goldstein adding another RBI single to bring the score to 3-6.
The Maroons continued their offensive surge in the fourth, with Josh Peyton's RBI triple and a pair of groundouts, including a sacrifice by Buck Olson and an RBI single by Bae, to take a 6-7 lead.
The game remained tight, but UChicago capitalized on two key hits in the eighth. Brady Miller singled to shortstop, bringing in Braden Jirovec and advancing Richard Lu to second. Max Wiesner followed up with a single, scoring Lu and giving UChicago an 8-7 advantage. From there, the Maroons' bullpen, highlighted by Liebel and Hahn, held off Caltech to secure the victory.
Game 4: February 16, 2025 - UChicago 6, #18 La Verne 3
In their final game of the California trip, UChicago defeated La Verne 6-3 in a well-fought game. The Maroons' offense was led by Max Wiesner, who launched a grand slam to put UChicago ahead early. The Maroons' offense produced timely hits, including an RBI double from Mike Gladden, while the team's defense remained solid behind them.
Drew Bryan took the mound for UChicago, earning the win with a solid 4.2 innings of work. Bryan allowed just one run on three hits, striking out three, and issuing only one walk. UChicago's bullpen was efficient as well, with Kirk Waller, Landon Brice, and John Butka combining for 4.1 scoreless innings to close out the victory. The Maroons' pitching staff was able to control the game despite a few La Verne scoring chances.
