By Ron Smith
April 18, 2025
 
(ATHERTON, Calif.) Ryan Humphreys came within two batters of pitching a seven-inning, perfect game on Friday afternoon against the Oaks of Menlo. In the second game of a doubleheader, Humphreys retired the first 19 batters he faced before giving up a single that snuck through the left side of the infield.
 
Westmont (33-9, 28-7 PacWest), ranked fifth in the National College Baseball Writers of America poll, won both games over Menlo (7-33, 5-29), taking the first 9-2 and the second 7-0.
 
"Ryan did a great job," praised Westmont head coach Paul Svagdis. "It was a bummer for all of us to see that ball get in for a hit. He has been one of our best leaders on the mound.
 
"Coach Dave Wolf is out here with us. He's a veteran coach and he said, 'The thing I liked about Ryan's performance is that when the perfect game was over, he locked in and got the next two guys out. Then he had a big smile on his face because he got the complete game and the win.'
 
"I think that is a great sign of a mature athlete," continued Svagdis. "I'm sure he wanted that perfect game as much as anybody, but he also knew the value of throwing a complete game for us."
 
Humphreys struck out 10 of the 22 batters he faced without allowing a walk, improving his record to 8-1.
 
"Ryan's pitch count was low (84)," noted Svagdis. "He threw a lot of fastballs, which is a great lesson to younger guys. You can win with a fastball if you want to compete with it. It was a good afternoon for Hump."
 
The Warriors took an early lead in game two on a first-inning, solo home run by Michael Soper. Neither team scored again until the sixth.
 
"Hats off to the young man pitching for Menlo (Richard Kiel). He did a good job," said Svagdis. "We really didn't do very well at the plate. After the fourth inning, I had to make some adjustments for hitters that we don't like to make. We had to make batter's box adjustments, because we weren't making the mental adjustments.
 
"As a hitting guy, I don't like doing that. However, we were in a 1-0 game with our pitcher throwing a perfect game and we weren't putting the ball in play competitively. Credit the guys, however, because they did it even though it is hard to ask, and we got the results."
 
In the top of the sixth, Bryce McFeely led off with a double down the right field line. Trey Dunn followed with a single up the middle that moved McFeely to second. One out later, Shane Hofstadler produced a bunt single to bring Hofstadler home.
 
"I thought the safety squeeze by Hof was huge to get us to 2-0," offered Svagdis. "Then it opened up for us after that. The adjustment really helped."
 
With two away and runners at first and second, Zach Mora doubled to left field, driving in Dunn and moving Hofstadler to third. Then Grant Yzermans reached on an error that allowed both runners to score. After Soper was hit by a pitch and Patterson was walked, McFeely made his second appearance at the plate in the inning. He singled to left to score both Yzermans and Mora and record the game's final runs.
 
In the early game, Jack Bollengier tied a single game record, becoming only the second Warrior in program history to tally three home runs in a single game.
 
The first-game scoring started in the top of the fourth. Daniel Patterson led off with a single to left, and reached second on an error. Trey Dunn produced an RBI-single to left that drove in Patterson. Then, Bollengier delivered a two-run home run to right to give the Warriors a 3-0.
 
After Isaac Veal was hit by a pitch, Hofstadler doubled down the left field line, plating Veal for a 4-0 Westmont lead. Mora's bunt single moved Hofstadler to third and gave the Warriors runners on the corners. Yzermans made it a 5-0 game with a sacrifice fly to left.
 
Menlo cut into the Warrior advantage with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth. Matt Morrison scored from the third on a wild pitch before Zach Dyer scored on a fielder's choice by Bradley Morris.
 
In the top of the fifth, Bollengier hit a solo shot over the fence in right-center field. That gave the Warriors a 6-2 margin.
 
Mora produced his third hit of the game with a one-out double down the left field line in the top of the sixth. A single through the left side of the infield by Yzermans drove in Mora to extend Westmont's lead to 7-2.
 
Bollengier's third home run of the game came in the seventh, making it three home runs in three plate appearances for the senior center fielder - his second, third and fourth of the season. Dunn, who had doubled down the left-field line ahead of Bollengier, scored on the play.
 
"Jack had a great game with three home runs," noted Svagdis. "I think the world of him. He is a great competitor – he's like a wild mustang. When he plays within guidelines with that mentality, he can be a wrecking ball as a baseball player. I'm so happy to get a chance to coach him in his senior year.
 
"It is fun for me to see him have some results like that. Last week, I asked Jack twice, in back-to-back at bats, to crowd the plate against left-handers. He got hit by the pitch both times when we needed a guy on base and we ended up scoring in both of those innings.
 
"At the end of the game last week, I talked about the selflessness it takes for an athlete to do that. Seeing him get all these personal results after being so selfless last week was really rewarding."
 
Bryan Peck was awarded the win after pitching the first five innings. Peck pitched the first five innings, allowing two runs on just three hits. He struck out four and did not allow a walk.
 
Caden Beloian earned his third save of the season by pitching the final four innings. Beloian did not allow a run, struck out five, and did not issue a walk.
 
"Caden did a great job," said Svagdis. "He came in and threw strikes. He had some SDIs (shut down innings) after we scored runs, which we focus on as a pitching staff. He pitched well and we were able to extend the lead a little bit, so we didn't have to use Zach Yates today."
 
Yates leads all of NCAA Division II with 11 saves this season.
 
With today's results, Westmont clinched a berth in the PacWest Tournament which will begin Wednesday, May 7 in Fresno.
 
"It's great because it is our first opportunity to be in the tournament," said Svagdis about clinching a tournament berth. "Our seniors all decided to come back and make this year great. I have been focused on making this year great for them. Making it great for them means winning games and making it to the playoffs. To see them be the first crew to make the PacWest Tournament is certainly something I am happy about for those guys and for the program."
 
In the PacWest conference standings, the Warriors sit in first place with a four-game lead over second place Jessup (28-15, 25-13) and four and one-half games over Point Loma (26-12, 22-10). With eight games remaining, the Warriors have a magic number of seven to claim the PacWest Regular Season Championship and the top seed in the tournament.
 
Tomorrow, Westmont will return to Cartan Baseball Field to take on Menlo in another doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 11:00 a.m.