CLAREMONT, Calif. — The Kingsmen walked off game one of the series against the Pomona-Pitzer Sagehens in dramatic fashion on Friday but dropped both games in the double-header on Saturday. Cal Lutheran now sits in second place in the SCIAC standings, two games out of first.

Cal Lutheran 9, Pomona-Pitzer 8
Six runs in the second inning from the Sagehens put the Kingsmen in a sticky spot early in game one. Cal Lutheran fired right back with four runs of its own in the bottom of the third. Alec Garcia roped a single up the middle to drive in the first run, and Jona Dawson cleaned up the base paths with a two-RBI double to left field. A sac-fly from Zach Gardner drove in the final run of the inning for the Kingsmen to make it 6-4. 

Pomona-Pitzer added a run in the seventh, then Garcia picked up another RBI to limit the damage and keep the Kingsmen within striking distance. The Sagehens increased their lead again to 8-5 in the eighth. 

Just when it looked like Cal Lutheran was out of it, the Kingsmen found themselves with the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the ninth. Gardner was hit by a pitch, which brought in the first run. Then, in the clutch, Lucas Danielewicz laced a two-run single to center field, tying the game 8-8. Eric Gonzalez sent everyone home by driving in Gardner on a fielder's choice. 

Kai Caranto had a productive game at the plate and went 3/3 while Garcia went 2/4 with two RBIs. 

Cal Lutheran 1, Pomona-Pitzer 18
The Sagehens evened up the series 1-1 with a sizable victory over the Kingsmen. Cal Lutheran went down 14-0 by the end of the fourth inning. The Kingsmen got one in the fifth as Caranto knocked in Josh Quinn with a sacrifice fly. Throughout the rest of the game, Pomona added four more runs before the game was called in the seventh. Cal Lutheran only struck out twice in the game but could not get the ball to find the outfield grass.

Cal Lutheran 4, Pomona-Pitzer 5
Pomona-Pitzer picked up right where it left off, already gaining a 4-0 advantage by the fourth inning. A massive sixth inning from the Kingsmen knotted the game up at 4-4. 

Caranto was able to touch home as Gardner picked up an RBI single, and Danielewicz drove in Dawson with a double to the gap in left. Quinn cleared the bases with a single and picked up two RBIs while tying the game.

Hope turned to heartbreak as the Sagehens took a page out of Cal Lutheran's book and walked off the Kingsmen with a home run to center field.
JJ Frazier pitched the bulk of the game while throwing five innings and allowing just two hits. Six different Kingsmen recorded hits, but Quinn's two-run double was the highlight of the game.

Cal Lutheran will now set its sights on the CMS Stags in hopes of reclaiming first place. The Kingsmen will play CMS in Redlands for the first game of the series on Friday, May 2 at 3:00 p.m.