Pasadena, California - The Oberlin Yeomen took the series from the Caltech Beavers in commanding fashion on Monday afternoon. Led by strong starts and timely hitting, the Yeomen won the opener 11-4 before triumphing 8-4 in the nightcap. 
 
In game one, sophomore Davis Hayes led the Yeomen through seven strong innings, only surrendering three earned runs while racking up seven strikeouts to get the day going. 
 
The Beavers jumped on Hayes earlier, driving an RBI double down the line in left to put them up 1-0 after one.
 
Oberlin bats responded with haste in the top of the second. Freshman third baseman Samuel Labrecque singled to right and came around to score on a fielder error on the right fielder to knot the score at one. After a walk to senior center fielder Zach Masnikoff, freshman left fielder Jack Braddell demolished a double off the wall in left-center to make it a 2-1 game. Braddell came around to score on a sac fly from freshman second baseman Senga to push Oberlin's lead to two. 
 
In the top of the fourth, Braddell delivered yet again. This time, lining a two-RBI single into the left-center gap to make it a 5-1 game. 
 
In the top of the fifth, junior catcher Anton Shelton laced a sac fly to left to score sophomore Kyle Baxt, who reached on a walk to make it a 6-1 game. A few batters later, Senga blooped a double down the left-field line to score two and give the Yeomen more insurance at 8-1.
 
Braddell got things going for the Yeomen again in the top of the seventh; blasting a two-run home run over the left-center wall to expand the lead to 10-1. Braddell finished game one with career-highs in hits (three) and RBIs (five). 
 
The Beavers scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh on a two-run home run to bring the score to 10-3 and close out Hayes's day.
 
In relief of Hayes, the Yeomen turned to freshman Lachlan Nichol. The righty threw two strong innings to close the game, giving up one run and striking out two. 
 
A wild pitch in the top of the ninth scored Masnikoff to bring the game to its conclusion, and with it, the Yeoman's fifth win of the season. 
 
Labrecque finished the day with a career high four hits in game one. 
Gearhart got the start on the bump for the yeomen in game two. The Riverside, CT native shined in the best outing of his career; going six strong innings, giving up eight hits, three earned runs and striking out six to earn his first collegiate win. 
 
The Yeomen jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the second thanks to some poor Beaver defense. Labrecque led off the inning with a single to right and Braddell walked to set up first and second with nobody out. The next batter, Masnikoff, was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After getting two outs, Senga roped a sharp ground ball to second that was booted by the defender, allowing Braddell and Masnikoff to score and make it a 2-0 game. The next batter, sophomore right fielder Brady Groves laced a ground ball to shortstop that proceeded to be thrown away, allowing Masnikoff to score and push Oberlin's lead to three. 
 
In the top of the third, the Yeomen added to their lead. With two down, Masnikoff crushed a triple into the right-center gap to score Labrecque and freshman shortstop Jeffery Chen to make it a 5-0 game.
 
The Beavers got on the board in the bottom of the third with an RBI double down the right-field line. Yet, Oberlin got the run back right away in the top of the fourth thanks to heads-up baserunning from Senga. 
 
The Honolulu, HI native roped a one-out single through the 3-4 hole before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Senga then stole third and came across to score on another wild pitch, making it a 6-1 game. 
 
After tacking on another run in the bottom of the fourth to make it a four-run game, the Beavers were threatening again in the bottom of the fifth. With the two-outs and the bases loaded with one run already in, Gearhart bore down, getting the last batter of the inning to ground out to third to end the threat. 
 
"It was a great feeling to get my first collegiate win," Gearhart said postgame. "For me, it came down to effectively being able to mix pitches, especially my offspeed, and establishing my fastball early was key to keep the game in control. Not to mention I had some great run support from my offense and my defense helped me stay in command throughout my outing."
 
Oberlin added two insurance runs in the top of the sixth to make it an 8-3 ballgame. 
 
Senior Zachary Ritts came on to get the final three outs for the Yeomen and shut the door on the Beavers, 8-4.
 
Oberlin rides a three-game winning streak and their record sits at 6-11 after taking the series from Caltech. The loss moves the Beavers to 6-15.
 
Oberlin continues their spring break trip tomorrow at Chapman University. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. PST. 
 
Fans can keep up with their favorite teams on Instagram, Facebook, X, or TikTok, and watch all the home matches live online. The Crimson and Gold's home broadcasts can be accessed on TV through the official Oberlin College Sports Network app on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.