CLAREMONT, Calif. - Cal Lutheran blasted 20 hits as it routed Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 15-3 in seven innings during the first game of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Round Robin play Wednesday. Four different Kingsmen amassed three hits on the day while three others had two hits as Cal Lutheran won its sixth straight game.
CLU's first three batters went 8-for-13 (.615) against the Stags, scoring 10 runs and driving in four more. Kingsmen lead-off hitter Justin Cana went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and a double. Two-hole hitter Nicho DellaValle was 3-for-4 with four runs scored a triple while three-hole hitter Jake Petersen led the way by going 3-for-5 with four scored and three RBIs.
The middle of the order did its job as well as Collin Crowl, Davey Casciola and Nick Cohan, CLU's 5-6-7 hitters, combined for eight hits and eight RBIs.
Cal Lutheran got off to a hot start when it put up a three-run inning in the top of the first. Cana singled on the first pitch of the game, and then DellaValle notched a base hit of his own. Petersen would follow with a hard groundball to the second baseman, who was unable to cleanly field it, allowing Cana to score. Ramsey Abushahla would sacrifice the runners over a base and then Crowl laced a single to left, scoring DellaValle. Casciola would round out the inning with an RBI on a fielder's choice, plating Petersen and giving CLU a 3-0 advantage.
After being held scoreless in the second, Cal Lutheran scored three more runs in the third inning. Crowl led off the inning with a single and then Casciola and Cohan had back-to-back doubles and gave CLU a 5-0 lead. Spencer DuBois would later single in Cohan and give CLU a six run advantage.
The Kingsmen would go on to score two more runs in the fourth and then three in the fifth and four more in the sixth inning.
While the bats were hot, CLU's pitching was almost just as impressive. Petersen (7-2) picked up his team leading seventh win of the season after pitching 5.0 shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out six. Cam Adams, Nicholas Driscoll and Landry Kiyabu all pitched in relief to secure the win.
Cal Lutheran (28-8, 19-6 SCIAC) will now travel to Redlands to take on the Bulldogs on Saturday April, 26. First pitch between the Bulldogs and Kingsmen is set for 3:00 p.m.
Box Score: CLU 15 CMS 3 (7 innings)
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