THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The Cal Lutheran Kingsmen kept their playoff hopes alive with a 5-0 victory over the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags. Five different Kingsmen recorded RBIs behind Nate Wehner's scoreless seven innings in the team's last home game of the season.
Earning the nod for the last time in the regular season, Wehner blanked the Stags, allowing just five hits in seven spotless innings with one walk and three strikeouts. He currently leads the nation with 14 starts and moves to 5-6 on the season with a 3.91 ERA.
Behind him, the offense provided 13 hits and six doubles, featuring at least one hit from every batter in the starting lineup.
Ryne Yamashiro got the offense started with a double to right and reached third on a balk in the first. Kaden White then sent a double down the left field line to bring him home and put the Kingsmen on the board early. Weston Clark followed suit in the fourth with a double to left before being sent home on a single up the middle by Cortez Espinoza to put Cal Lutheran up 2-0.
Looking to pad the lead, the team notched five consecutive hits in the fifth inning to score three additional runs. Tanner Wright led off the inning with a double to center before reaching home on a single by Yamashiro. Though Yamashiro was then caught stealing second, White reached first on a single to center. Matt Sciumbato then joined the double-parade with hit down the left field line that brought White home and a follow-up RBI-single by Clark rounded out the scoring series.
After topping out at 102 pitches, Wehner turned the ball over to Justin Fong who induced two groundouts and struck out his final batter in the eighth. Christian Slattery then took over as closer and ended the game with an 89 mile-per-hour pitch to catch the final batter looking.
The win moves the Kingsmen to 11-11 in conference and 22-16 on the season. The boys head to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps tomorrow for a double header with playoff hopes on the line. Game times are set for 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. PST.
Box Score: CLU 5, CMS 0
Interview with Christian Slattery and Weston Clark: https://youtu.be/MMrFoJToak8
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Release by Christy Effendie, Assistant Sports Information Director
