THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – What began as a dominant afternoon for Cal Lutheran baseball turned into a dramatic extra-inning thriller as the Kingsmen walked off Keene State 9-8 on Friday at George "Sparky" Anderson Field.
After building a commanding early lead, Cal Lu watched the Owls storm back with a five-run ninth inning to tie the game before
Wes Lynch delivered the decisive hit in the 10th.
The Kingsmen struck first in the opening frame, as
Kai Caranto reached on an error and later came around to score when another Keene State miscue allowed
Wyatt Crosby's ground ball to plate the game's first run.
CLU then extended the lead in the fourth with Lynch's bunt single igniting the rally and
Troy Anderson's RBI double bringing him home. After
Philip Jeong reached with a base hit,
Eric Gonzalez laid down a sac bunt that scored Anderson, and
Daniel Orozco followed with an RBI single to make it 4-0.
The Kingsmen continued to pour it on in the fifth. Back-to-back singles from Anderson and Jeong set the table before Gonzalez delivered again, driving a two-run single to right-center. Caranto added another RBI single later in the inning to push the lead to 7-0.
Cal Lutheran's pitching staff kept Keene State quiet through the early innings. Starter
Justin Gottlieb tossed five scoreless frames, allowing just one hit while working around three walks to keep the Owls off the board.
Keene State began chipping away in the seventh with a pair of RBI singles to cut the deficit to 7-2. The Owls added another run in the eighth, but the Kingsmen responded in the bottom half when Lynch ripped a triple to right-center to score
Jona Dawson and extend the lead to 8-3.
The ninth inning, however, turned chaotic. Keene State strung together five runs on five hits, including two RBI doubles, to erase the deficit and tie the game at 8-8.
After
Matt Campo entered in relief and kept the Owls from taking the lead, the Kingsmen regrouped in the bottom of the 10th.
Jacob Blickenderfer sparked the rally with a single before Dawson reached on a fielder's choice and moved into scoring position. With two outs, Lynch stepped to the plate and lined a single to right field, bringing Dawson home and sealing the walk-off victory.
Lynch finished 3-for-5 with two RBIs, including the game-winner, and a triple. Jeong had a standout day at the plate as well, going 4-for-5, while Anderson added two hits and an RBI. Gonzalez also drove in three runs for the Kingsmen.
Campo earned the win in relief, striking out four in 1.2 innings of scoreless work.
