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14
Winner Regis RUBB 1-0
8
Westmont WC 0-1
Winner
Regis RUBB
1-0
14
Final
8
Westmont WC
0-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Regis RUBB 0 1 3 0 0 3 0 0 7 14 18 1
Westmont WC 0 2 1 3 1 1 0 0 0 8 8 2

W: Jacobs, Nick (1-0) L: Wechsberg, Lucien (0-1)

13
Winner Regis RUBB 2-0
9
Westmont WC 0-2
Winner
Regis RUBB
2-0
13
Final
9
Westmont WC
0-2
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 R H E
Regis RUBB 0 3 0 1 0 9 13 9 0
Westmont WC 0 3 0 4 1 1 9 5 1

W: De Leon, Dylan (1-0) L: Lacy, Willis (0-1)

Clayton Conn 2.2
Regis junior infielder Clayton Conn (#1) during Friday's games at Westmont College. (Courtesy photo Westmont College Athletics)

Game Recap: Baseball | | David Wilson, Assistant AD-Communications

Rangers sweep Friday doubleheader against Westmont College to open 2024 campaign

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The Regis University baseball team began the 2024 campaign in thrilling fashion on Friday, bashing its way to a pair of come-from-behind victories, 14-8 and 13-9, against Westmont College.

Coming off a 2023 season where Regis (2-0 overall) set a school record for runs scored (517), the Rangers picked right back where they left off as they produced 27 runs on 27 hits against the Warriors (0-2 overall); the 2023 NAIA World Series champions turned Division II PacWest member.

"I thought the guys played well. There were obviously some Opening Day jitters, but as we got settled in it seemed some more things started to work out for us. That's a championship level program over there in Westmont," said Regis head coach Pat Jolley, who earned his first two career victories on Friday. "I was happier about us being 2-0 than anything else. Obviously, it was fun and cool to do (earn first win), but I'm more excited about the really good performances we saw today."

GAME ONE RECAP
Friday's opener was a seesaw affair, with Regis scoring the first run of 2024 in the second inning on a RBI double off the bat of Peter Goldy to score junior outfielder Mattias Sessing.

Regis would again take the lead in the third inning on a two-run single by Sessing and a RBI double courtesy of junior utility man CJ Difiglia that gave the Rangers a brief 4-2 lead.

Westmont College would rally back to build a 7-4 lead in the fifth before junior right-hander Nick Jacobs (1-0 overall) put a lid on the Warriors' offense.

Jacobs tossed 4.2 innings of relief, allowing just two runs on three hits while striking out four, allowing the opportunity for the Rangers' offense to rally late.

"Nick was outstanding for us in Game One. He came in and filled up the strike zone, gave us multiple innings and really allowed that ninth inning to happen," Jolley said.

The Rangers pulled even at 7-7 on a two-run single from junior catcher Adam Paniagua, but still trailed 8-7 entering the ninth inning and needing a little magic down to their final three outs.

Goldy got the rally started with a leadoff single and advanced to second on the bunt single from junior infielder Clayton Conn. After an error loaded the bases with nobody out, Regis junior infielder Garrett Rede launched a memorable first home run in a Rangers' uniform, belting a go-ahead grand slam to left that put the Rangers on top for good at 11-8.

"I thought our guys were able to turn the page on some early struggles and really string together quality at-bats late in Game One. No one was trying to do too much, just passing the baton to the next guy, and we played really good team offense," Jolley said of the ninth-inning rally. "And then Rede got a pitch left over the plate and put a really good swing on it."

Regis would tack on three more insurance runs in the ninth inning, sending a total of 10 guys to the plate, to put a bow on the 14-8 final.

GAME TWO RECAP
The nightcap on Friday would play out in similar fashion for the Rangers as they again drew first blood, going up 3-0 in the second inning with the big swing being a two-run double from senior catcher Reagan Guthrie for two of his three RBI in the ballgame.

Westmont College battled back in the middle innings and took its first lead of the ballgame with a four-run fourth inning to grab a 7-4 advantage and led by as many as four runs at 8-4 entering the sixth.

The Rangers would erupt for nine runs in the sixth, however, sending 14 men to the plate and scoring those nine runs on just four hits as they took advantage of four hit batsmen and a walk in the inning.

Westmont got a run back in the bottom of the sixth to trim the Rangers' lead to 13-9, but the ballgame was ruled official due to darkness in the top of the seventh.

Senior outfielder Levi Padilla paced the Regis offense, going 2-for-3 with a run scored and three RBI batting out of the No. 9 spot, while Paniagua and Difiglia each added two hits apiece.

GAME NOTES
  • Paniagua and Goldy each collected four hits in Game One on Friday, both finishing 4-for-6 and combining for five RBI.
  • Senior right-hander Dylan De Leon picked up the win on the mound in Game Two after pitching 1.2 innings of relief, allowing just one run on two hits and notching his first strikeout of 2024.
  • Defensively, Regis committed just one error across 15 innings between the two games.
  • Game Two starting pitcher, redshirt senior Luke Douthitt, was making his first appearance since April 30, 2022 after missing all of the 2023 season due to injury. He struck out four batters in 3.1 innings.
UP NEXT
The Rangers will go hunting for the series win and potentially a series sweep when the two teams resume play at 12 p.m. (Mountain Time) on Saturday. Game Three of the series will be a nine-inning contest while Game Four, slated to start at approximately 3 p.m. (Mountain Time) is scheduled to be a seven-inning game.

"It's a big day for Westmont as they bring everyone back and honor their championship team. Their head coach Tyler (LaTorre) is going to have his guys ready to go and I'm sure they probably feel like they left something out there on the scoreboard today," Jolley said. "They'll come back and compete so for us, we'll have to show some toughness and fight-back to try and win two more games tomorrow and playing the same opponent on the road four times in two days."
 
 
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