THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - In a non-conference matchup between two of the top ranked Division III teams in the nation, according to the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Poll, the No. 20 Cal Lutheran baseball team knocked off No. 15 Kean (N.J.) 5-2 at Sparky Anderson Field inside Ullman Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

After both teams missed opportunities to score with the bases loaded early on, and combined for seven runners left on base through two innings, the Kingsmen struck first with four runs in the bottom of the third.

Max Weinstein led off the inning with a sharp line drive single through the left side and came around to score two batters later on an RBI single from Gabe Gunter. A costly error by the Cougars allowed CLU to load the bases and a second hit batter in the inning cashed in another run. With the bases still loaded, Cheynne Giles drew a walk to bring home Jimmy Jauregui and Trey Saito drove in a run with a single to center to cap the scoring in the frame.

The Kingsmen tacked on another run in the fifth after Jauregui led off the inning with a double off the right field wall and came around to score on a sac fly from Brad Fullerton.

Marshall Pautsch (2-1) was dominant on the hill tossing seven shutout innings allowing just five hits and one walk while striking out six. Miguel Salud and Nate Wehner each tossed an inning of relief to secure the win.

Weinstein went 3-for-5 with a run scored and Saito finished 2-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Kingsmen at the plate.

Cal Lutheran (6-4) returns to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) action with a single game against Redlands this Friday, Mar. 10 at 2:30 p.m. at Ullman Stadium.

Box Score: CLU 5, KU 2
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