THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran baseball celebrated its senior class and delivered a statement win on Saturday, splitting a doubleheader with No. 25 Pomona-Pitzer at George "Sparky" Anderson Field.
Prior to first pitch, the Kingsmen honored
Ethan Dungo,
Luis Luhrs,
Daniel Orozco,
Troy Anderson,
Lucas Danielewicz, and
Matt Campo as part of their Senior Day festivities.
Cal Lutheran (23-14, 11-10 SCIAC) responded in a big way after Friday's setback, using a handful of explosive innings to secure an 11-4 win in game one before falling 5-3 in the nightcap.
GAME ONE: CAL LUTHERAN 11, POMONA 4
The Kingsmen jumped on the nationally-ranked Sagehens early and never looked back, putting together a complete offensive performance.
After opening the scoring in the first, Cal Lu broke the game wide open in the second inning. The Kingsmen plated five runs in the frame, highlighted by a three-run triple from Danielewicz that gave CLU a commanding advantage. Danielewicz later scored on a wild pitch to cap the inning and make it 6-1.
Pomona chipped away with runs in the fourth and fifth, cutting the deficit to 6-4, but the Kingsmen had an answer.
Cal Lu added insurance in the fifth before pulling away for good in the sixth, stringing together disciplined at-bats and timely hits to score three more runs.
Kai Caranto and
Eric Gonzalez each delivered RBI contributions in the inning, while the Kingsmen continued to capitalize on traffic on the bases.
Oscar Lopez earned the win on the mound, working 4.2 innings, while
Aidan Buntich was dominant out of the bullpen, tossing 4.1 shutout innings to close the door.
Danielewicz led the way offensively, going 3-for-5 with four RBIs and a triple, while
Wyatt Crosby added three hits and an RBI. The Kingsmen finished with 11 hits and nine walks in the win.
GAME TWO: POMONA 5, CAL LUTHERAN 3
The Sagehens flipped the script in game two, capitalizing on an early offensive surge and holding off the Kingsmen late.
Pomona struck for three runs in the first inning and added another in the second to take a quick 4-0 lead, putting pressure on Cal Lu from the start.
The Kingsmen battled back and chipped away at the deficit. They got on the board in the second on a wild pitch before adding runs in the fifth and sixth, trimming the margin to 4-3.
Despite the momentum shift, CLU was unable to come up with the timely hit when it mattered most. The Kingsmen were limited to just four hits on the afternoon and stranded multiple scoring opportunities.
Pomona added an insurance run in the eighth, and CLU could not mount a final push in the ninth.
Colten Hanson was charged with the loss after allowing four runs over 4.2 innings, while the bullpen combination of
Ryan Jung and
Matt Campo kept the game within reach down the stretch.
UP NEXT
With the regular season winding down, Cal Lutheran enters a critical final series still fighting for a postseason spot but no longer in control of its own destiny.
The Kingsmen will need a strong showing against No. 16 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps next weekend, beginning with a 3 p.m. home game on Friday, while also needing help elsewhere in the SCIAC standings to keep their postseason hopes alive.
