ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University baseball team used a pair of two-out rallies to top visiting Ithaca College (N.Y.) 5-2 at Hart Park on Tuesday evening. The Panthers lengthened their winning streak to 13, including nine straight at home.

Sophomore RHP Christian Maietta made his first career start a memorable one for Chapman (14-4). The righty had a two-hit shutout through eight innings before Ithaca (3-3) scored a pair of runs in the ninth. Maietta (1-1) completed the game, allowing just the two runs and four hits with six strikeouts and no walks to earn his second career victory.

The No. 13-ranked Panthers never trailed, scoring four of their five runs with two outs. The first lead came in the second inning as senior IF Bobby Evers drew a two-out walk and eventually scored on a bases-loaded single to centerfield from freshman IF Troy Newman, giving the Panthers an early 2-0 lead. Newman went 1-for-4 with two RBI.

Evers instigated another two-out rally in the sixth inning with a double to left-center. Chapman capitalized and extended its lead to 4-0 thanks to a pair of run-scoring hits from junior OF James Parr and freshman OF Adam Velez. The Panthers would tack on one more seventh to give Maietta a five-run cushion.

The Bombers threatened the Panthers' lead in the ninth. Freshman IF Tim LoCastro knocked in Ithaca's first run on a double to score junior Mike Rosenbaum in a close play at home plate. LoCastro would eventually score on a fielder's choice closing Chapman's lead to 5-2.

by Robert Flicker and Stephanie Leavell
Sports Information Interns

Boxscore: http://www.chapmanathletics.com/sports/bsb/2010-11/boxscores/20110315_hdr0.xml