THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran baseball defeated Occidental by 4-2 and 7-3 margins at "Sparky" Anderson Field on Saturday. CLU's Nick Boggan hit an eighth inning grand slam in game two to cap off a three-game weekend series sweep of the Tigers.
Box Score (Game 1): CLU 4, OXY 2 - F
Box Score (Game 2): CLU 7, OXY 3 - F
The final game of the weekend series was tied 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning. With runners on second and third, and one out, the Tigers elected to load the bases by intentionally walking the next Kingsmen hitter.
"I felt like they were disregarding me a little bit," said Boggan after watching the Tigers issue the free base on balls to teammate Trevor Koons. "I understood (the move)...I haven't been hitting well lately and (Trevor) has been one of our best hitters all season."
Heading into the final game of the series Koons was 6-for-7 at the plate, while Boggan had just one hit in eight at bats. Loading the bases also created a double play scenario that could potentially end the threat and preserve a tie ballgame. Boggan had other ideas.
"I was looking for something elevated to hit deep enough to score at least a run," said Boggan. He took the second offering, a high fastball, from relief pitcher Alec Strain over the deepest part of the outfield wall for the game-winning grand slam.
Cal Lutheran 4, Occidental 2 - F
Friday's starting pitcher Byron Minnich set the tone for the CLU staff after throwing 120 pitches for a complete game victory. On Saturday, starter Peter Ciaramitaro was topping out his fastball in the high 80's and had an effective slider keeping Occidental's hitters off balance.
A first inning two-out Kingsmen rally and Tigers defensive miscue gave Ciaramitaro a two-run cushion upon his return to the mound in the second. He would go seven-plus innings scattering four singles and striking out five batters before giving way to closer Tyler Hebda.
Hebda preserved the shutout in the eighth despite entering the game with two runners on base and no outs. A 4-0 lead heading into the ninth closed to 4-2 and Tigers brought the go-ahead run to the plate. Hebda needed 37 pitches but managed to close out the game to pick up his fifth save of the season.
Cal Lutheran collected 16 base hits on Friday added 11 more in Saturday's opener. Trevor Koons led the Kingsmen lineup going 4-for-4 with a double at the plate. Garrett Smith went 2-for-3 including a sixth inning RBI-single on an 0-2 pitch from Tigers starting pitcher Joseph Kling.
Kling threw 97 pitches over his six innings of work in which he allowed four runs (two earned) and struck out one batter. Teammate Mitch Margolis tossed two innings of shutout relief.
Anthony Salsedo led the Tigers offense with his 3-for-4 game one effort at the plate. His ninth inning RBI-single cut the deficit to two and put the game-tying run on base.
Cal Lutheran 7, Occidental 3 - F
The Cal Lutheran offense racked up 27 hits in the first two games of its weekend series with Occidental. Tigers starting pitcher Matt Malott then proceeded to no-hit the Kingsmen through the first five innings and was the beneficiary of a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth.
Iggy Wagner broke up the no-hit bid with an RBI-triple and the Kingsmen battled back to eventually tie the game 3-3 despite netting only one base hit through seven innings. Cal Lutheran deadlocked the game after DeLorenzo later scored on an error in which he advanced to third base to start off the frame.
Four of Cal Lutheran's five hits came in the eighth starting with singles by Garrett Smith and Wagner. A sacrifice bunt pushed the two runners over into scoring position and forced a tough decision by the Tigers coaching staff.
Occidental chose to load the bases and face Nick Boggan in hopes of turning a double play to maintain a tie game. Malott was lifted prior to the at bat after tossing 7.1 innings and 111 pitches.
Sophomore Alec Strain was called upon to face Boggan in hopes of limiting the damage. Two pitches later Boggan smashed his fourth home run of the season over the wall in dead center and the Kingsmen won by that margin of victory.
CLU relief pitcher Chris Park improved his record to 4-0 after tossing three hitless innings. Starter John LaMoure held the Tigers to three runs (two earned) and two hits. A trio of CLU pitchers including Tyler Hebda combined to hold Occidental to only two base hits in the game.
OXY's Matt Malott was tagged with the loss despite his strong start. He allowed six runs (five earned) on just three hits over 7.1 innings. Logan Allen and Brent Wunner each had a double in the loss.
Cal Lutheran (16-8, 11-4 SCIAC) took sole possession of second place in the conference standings following Saturday's wins. The Kingsmen remain one game back of La Verne (17-9, 12-3) for the top spot in the league standings.
Cal Lutheran will be on the road Friday, March 30, against Caltech (0-20, 0-15 SCIAC).
