THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Starting pitcher Luke Wechsler dealt five innings of one-run ball and every hitter in the Kingsmen starting lineup reached base on opening day as Cal Lutheran baseball kicked off the season with a 7-1 victory against Puget Sound on Friday afternoon. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 
Wechsler (1-0) brought energy in his outing, establishing his presence from the get-go with a one-two-three first inning that included a strikeout, the first of his six K's in the game. The Kingsmen (1-0, 0-0 SCIAC) offense followed suit as Josh Quinn and Blake Wink recorded back-to-back singles in the top of the first. With runners on second and third, Lucas Danielewicz drove in the game's first run with a single and Sebastian Smith followed it up with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0. 

The Kingsmen added two runs in the next two innings, as Kai Caranto singled and worked his way around the bases in the second inning and Danielewicz got his second RBI of the game when he drove in Alec Garcia, who tripled to lead off the third inning. 

Milan Bugarin was first out of the Kingsmen bullpen and pitched a scoreless two innings. Weschler finished with 5.0 innings, six strikeouts, two hits, three walks, and just one earned run.

The Loggers (0-1) kept it close until the bottom of the eighth inning when the Kingsmen tacked on three insurance runs to make it a 7-1 game. Joshua Kim took care of the Puget Sound offense in the eighth and the ninth. He earned the save, facing the minimum in two innings of work and striking out three en route to a Kingsmen win. 

THE NUMBERS
Quinn, Danielewicz, Caranto, and Gordon Richardson all had two hits in the contest. All nine of the Kingsmen hitters reached base with eight out of nine recording a hit. Carlos Vega worked two walks to boost his on-base percentage. 

UP NEXT
The Kingsmen finish off the two-game series against Puget Sound at home on Sunday, Feb. 18 at noon.