THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - For the final time of the spring, the Cal Lutheran baseball team hosted a non-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) opponent at George "Sparky" Anderson Field. Today against MIT the Kingsmen used multi-run innings in the third, sixth and eighth innings to defeat the Engineers 11-65.
The top two batters in the CLU lineup, Justin Caña and Max Price, recorded three hits with one RBI and two runs scored apiece. Both Nick Cohan and Collin Crowl added two hits as the team combined for 13, three of which were for extra bases. Spencer DuBois and Gabe Gunter each touched the plate twice and DuBois drove in two runs, second on the squad to Ramsey Abushahla who finished with three RBIs. Once on base, Cal Lutheran swiped four bags with Caña, Cohan, Crowl and Gunter each notching one.
On the mound, Evan Peterson (4-1) earned the win after working 6.0 innings without allowing a run and striking out a pair. Nate Wehner, Mitchell Shields and Landry Kiyabu came out of the bullpen.
The scoring started straight away as CLU put up a crooked number in the first frame on a PriceRBI double that scored Cañaand the Kingsmen followed with a another run in the second inning when Anthony Schirtz drove in Cohan. In the third, the Violet and Gold doubled their lead with RBIs from Abushahlaand Crowl that scored Price and Gunter, respectively, to add to the tally.
Cal Lutheran again doubled its lead in the sixth with a four-spot that included four hits and one MIT miscue to take an 8-0 advantage.
The Boston squad got on the board in the top of the seventh with four runs of their own on three hits and one CLU error, but Shieldsworked out of a bases loaded jam with a strikeout to keep the home team on top by a comfortable four-run lead.
In the bottom of the eight, the Kingsmen posted three insurance runs. DuBois connected for a two-RBI triple before scurrying home on a wild pitch for the final run of the day for the Kingsmen.
Though, MIT plated two more in the ninth, the game would be put in the books when Kiyabustruck out the final two batters he faced, totaling three Ks in the frame.
MIT (4-3) got two hits apiece from Reid Bishop, Hayden Cornwell, Austin Filiere and Nate Rodman. Both Bishop and Rodman drove in two and Parker Tew scored twice. Tagged with the loss was Will Loucks (0-1) who lasted just 4.0 innings. He and Eric Tu each struck out four on the day.
Cal Lutheran (17-6) returns to SCIAC action tomorrow with a road game at Whittier. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. at Memorial Field.
Box Score: CLU 11, MIT 6
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