CLAREMONT, Calif. – Cal Lutheran baseball ran into a buzzsaw on Friday afternoon, falling 17-5 in a run-rule shortened contest against No. 25 Pomona-Pitzer in the series opener.

The Kingsmen struck first and briefly grabbed momentum right out of the gate. Daniel Orozco led off the game with a solo home run to right field, giving Cal Lu an early 1-0 advantage.

That lead proved short-lived, as the Sagehens responded with two runs in the second before breaking the game wide open in a decisive fourth inning. Pomona sent 15 batters to the plate and erupted for 11 runs on seven hits, using a combination of timely extra-base hits and disciplined at-bats to create separation.

Cal Lutheran showed some fight in the fifth, capitalizing on traffic on the bases to plate four runs. An RBI hit-by-pitch from Lucas Danielewicz and a sacrifice fly by Wyatt Crosby helped get things started before Kai Caranto delivered a two-run single down the right field line to cut the deficit to 13-5.

That would be as close as the Kingsmen would get, as Pomona tacked on a solo home run in the sixth and a three-run shot in the seventh to enforce the run rule. The Sagehens finished with 17 runs on 16 hits, including four home runs on the day.

Orozco led the Kingsmen offensively, going 2-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored. Caranto drove in a team-high two RBIs, while Brady Werther added a double as part of Cal Lutheran's six-hit effort.

Max McGrady was charged with the loss after allowing eight runs over 3.2 innings, while multiple relievers were called upon during Pomona's fourth-inning surge.