By Ron Smith
March 21, 2025
 
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) It was a glorious day at Russ Carr Field on the second day of Spring - at least for fourth-ranked Westmont Baseball (24-3, 19-1 PacWest) and its fans. In the first game, Bryan Peck became the first career 30-game winner in program history with a 10-6 victory over Concordia (9-15, 7-13).
 
Then in game two, the Warriors rallied from a one-run deficit with two outs in the bottom of the final frame to claim a 4-3 win. It was the sixth victory in a row for Westmont and the 23rd out of the last 24 games.
 
Last weekend, Peck tied Daniel Butler for the most career wins at 29 with a 9-5 victory over Azusa Pacific. Today, he claimed the top spot in the record book with a seven-inning outing in which he allowed two runs on four hits while striking out four.
 
"He has been a workhorse for Coach Ruiz, and Coach LaTorre, and for us," said Westmont's head coach Paul Svagdis of Peck. "I was really happy for him. I gave him the ball to put on his shelf. Westmont has an incredible history, so for him to be able to say he has the most wins is a pretty cool honor. It is fun to be a coach that got to be a part of that."
 
After a scoreless first three innings, the Golden Eagles scored on a sacrifice fly by Niko Santamaria that drove in Nicholas Anderson. The Concordia lead, however, proved to be fleeting.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, Daniel Patterson led off with an infield single, then reached second when Bryce McFeely singled to left. Jack Bollengier reached on a fielder's choice that saw McFeely thrown out at second. Trey Dunn then walked on a 3-1 count to load the bases with Warriors.

That brought up Jesse DiMaggio who pounded a grand slam over the right field fence, giving Westmont a 4-1 advantage. It was DiMaggio's seventh home run of the year, tying him with McFeely for the team lead.
 
The Warriors nearly recorded a second grand slam in the inning when Patterson returned to the plate with the bases loaded. Patterson hit a blast 395 feet to left-center field. Unfortunately, for the Warriors' senior third baseman, that is the deepest part of the park and the ball held up for Concordia's center fielder to record the third out of the inning.
 
Westmont added two more runs in the bottom of the fifth, making the score 6-1. McFeely reached on an error to lead off the inning, then with one away, advanced to third when Dunn doubled down the right field line. A sacrifice fly to center brought home McFeely. Dunn then scored on a double to left by Shane Hofstadler.
 
The Warriors took a 10-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth by adding four more runs. With one away, Michael Soper singled to left field, then stole second. After Patterson was hit by a pitch, McFeely was walked, loading the bases.
 
A ground ball to second by Bollengier drove in Soper and an error on the play kept the bases loaded. Then, Dunn hit a sacrifice fly to left, allowing Patterson to score and everyone else to move up one base. A wild pitch allowed McFeely to score and Bollengier to take third. Hofstadler drove in Bollengier with an infield single for the inning's final run.
 
In the top of the seventh, pinch hitter Anthony Pacino led off with a triple before another pinch hitter, Cameron Slessor, delivered an RBI-single to right. The Golden Eagles loaded the bases with one away, but Peck struck out Haku Dudoit, then got Erickson to hit a tapper back to the mound to prevent any further damage.
 
Willis Lacy took the mound for the Warriors in the top of the eighth, and pitched out of a jam to keep the inning scoreless. He then returned for the ninth and struck out the first two batters he faced. Unfortunately, he ran into a bit of trouble and Concordia scored four runs.
 
With the bases loaded, Brandon Tatch was asked to shut the door and secure the win. Tatch came in and struck out the only batter he faced, picking up his first collegiate save.
 
As in the first game, the second was scoreless until the fourth inning. With one away, McFeely reached on an error, then took third on a hit-and-run when Bollengier singled through the right side. A sacrifice fly by Dunn plated McFeely, giving Westmont a 1-0 lead.
 
Caden Beloian started the game for the Warriors and pitched four scoreless innings before giving up a three-run blast to Wyatt Madison in the top of the top of the fifth. That put Westmont in a 3-1 deficit in the seven-inning game.
 
Westmont pulled within one (3-2) in the bottom of the fifth. With one way, Tyler McEvoy was hit by a pitch. That prompted Svagdis to bring in a pinch runner in the person of Isaac Veal. One out later, Soper doubled to right field, driving in Veal.
 
In the top of the sixth, AJ Newell entered the game in relief. The freshman recorded one out, but also allowed a bit of traffic on the bases. With men on first and second, Zach Yates was called on to end the threat. Yates struck out the first man he saw on a 3-2 pitch, then coaxed the next to ground out to third.
 
"I brought Veal off the bench (in the bottom of the fifth) for exactly that opportunity," explained Svagdis. "Soper hit that ball really well and we were able to score Veal to get close. That allowed us to make a decision to go to Yates really quickly. We had a player off the bench, role players and starters doing great things."
 
Westmont went one-two-three in the bottom of the sixth, as did Concordia in the top of the seventh. That meant the Warriors had just three more outs to avoid their fourth loss of the season.
 
When the first two batters were retired, Hofstadler stepped to the plate as the Warriors' last hope. On a 2-1 count, Hofstadler swung and connected with the baseball, redirecting it over the left field fence and tying the game at three runs apiece.
 
"With Veal in to run, we had to put Hofstadler out there to catch, but that's a pretty cool option," said Svagdis. "In the back of my head, I knew I could put in a senior that has been in a lot of big games and has won the team a lot of big games. You never say, 'I think that was going to happen', but when Hof is at the plate, you think, 'He could do that.' He has that pull-side power. When he did that, I thought, 'No way he just did that!' So, that was exciting."
 
"The inning before, when I came in, I looked at the lineup and saw that my spot was guaranteed to come up to bat," said Hofstadler. "I started talking to the other guys in the lineup about what the pitcher is looking like, how he throws and how his fastball was. I went in there looking for a fast ball and had a good visual of the fastball in my head.
 
"The next thing I know, my at bat came up quickly. I was just trying to get my swing off. If I am going to go down, I was going to go down taking my 'A' swing. I was praying for God to give me strength and for him to be with me. Next thing I know, I took the 'A' swing and kind of blacked out after that!
 
"I couldn't believe that actually happened. I was rounding third and all the guys were jumping up and down and I saw our coach all fired up too. I was screaming going into the dugout. I was about to pass out. I was screaming so much I had no oxygen. That was a cool moment to share with a lot of my best friends."
 
The senior missed all of last season as the result of injury. When asked what it meant for him to play this year, he replied, "I wasn't expecting to have moments like this. I was just looking forward to playing baseball again - win or lose to have fun with my friends. Any time we are out here together, it is a great time, that is what I am thankful for. Then to have moments like this keeps you coming back and grows your love for the game."
 
The Warriors had new life, but the game was not over. Grant Yzermans came up to bat and singled up the middle to keep the inning alive. He then stole second. With first open, Concordia intentionally walked Soper, bringing up Patterson.
 
All the Warriors needed was a single and that is what Patterson provided, driving a 0-2 pitch into center field. Yzermans rounded third and headed home. The throw to the plate was too late. Yzerman scored. Game over. The Warriors abandon the dugout and rush the field in celebration.
 
"I was really confident," said Patterson, "That was the fourth time I had seen that guy. I was seeing him really well. That pitch was down, but I had confidence that I was going to get it. I just trusted my hands and put it right back where it came from.
 
"That felt awesome. I have been struggling for a little bit, so to get that and get my confidence back – today was a good day for that. Lots of fun. Baseball's fun."
 
"Yzerman stealing that bag was a big steal," noted Svagdis. "We work on that and try to beat them with the running game. For him to get that steal and for Daniel to step up for us with that big hit, meant that we did not have to go back to Yates in a tie game. That was huge."
 
Yates was awarded the win, his fourth of the year.
 
The Warriors and Golden Eagles will meet up again on Saturday for another doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.