The Musketeers battled hard during six-game road slate against California schools

By Briana Dunn & Lucy Kramer, Staff Writers

Over Spring Break, Xavier Baseball traveled to California for a whopping eight games in nine days, playing at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) and Saint Mary’s College of California.  

The first series against UCSB ended with a victorious 1-2 series finale with the Gauchos victorious and a 5-7 season record for the Musketeers. However, the weekend didn’t stop the Musketeers in their single match against the Cal Poly Mustangs as they swept the game 7-1.  

Right-handed pitcher Luke Hoskins allowed only one run and four hits along with seven strikeouts while pitching a career-long six innings. 

The bullpen, composed of Jonathan Kelly, Justin Loer and Nick Kolze, combined to pitch three scoreless innings, forfeiting only one hit and one walked batter.  

Andrew Walker was three-for-four at the plate, gaining three RBIs, one run and three stolen bases. Jack Housinger hit the only home run of the game while Garret Shultz and Grant Stephenson went two-for-five with a run and two-for-four with a run, respectively. Xavier committed two fewer errors than Cal Poly and recorded a season-high five stolen bases. 

To close their California trip, the Musketeers competed against the Saint Mary’s Gaels in a four-game series.  The games scheduled on Thursday and Friday night were postponed due to inclement weather and Saturday’s double-header was moved to Pittsburgh, California instead of Moraga. 

Saturday’s first game began with a 2-0 lead for the Gaels after the first two innings, but the game entered a rain delay after the top of the third inning. 

Ethan Bosacker started the game pitching into the fifth  inning, allowing four runs on seven hits, striking out three and walking none. 

Luke Bell entered from the bullpen, pitching three  scoreless innings while allowing one hit, two walked batters and striking out four.  

The Gaels added two more runs after the delay, and the score remained until the eighth inning as Matthew DePrey hit a solo home run. 

Hayden Christiansen and Matthew DePrey were one-for-four at bat, and Jared Cushing was two-for-four at bat. Connor Misch drove in Schultz for his first collegiate RBI and a final score of 4-2. 

However, the evening slate  match fared much better for the Musketeers as they exhausted the Gaels. The team acquired an early lead in the second with a Schultz solo home run — his first of the season. Following Schultz’s run, Walker’s home run to right field drove in two in the third. 

Brant Alazaus pitched the first six innings, allowing one earned run on four hits, five strikeouts and one walk. Kelly entered the field with one batter on and no outs in the seventh, pitching one  inning and allowing one earned run on a hit and one walk with a strikeout. 

Clay Schwaner pitched the ninth inning, picking up his third save of the season pitching a 1-2-3 inning with three strikeouts. 

Housinger hit two RBIs in the seventh inning, bringing the score to 5-0 for the Musketeers. The Gaels fired back, scoring a pair of runs in the seventh but came no closer.  

Walker was two-for-four at bat, scoring two runs and two RBIs while Schultz was one-for-three and received one run and one RBI. The series ended in a 1-1 tie between the Musketeers and Gaels and a 7-8 season record for the Musketeers. 

Xavier plays at home today against Michigan University at 3 p.m.