LOS ANGELES, Calif. — After taking the shutout victory in yesterday's series opener against the Occidental Tigers, the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen had their six-game win streak halted in a 6-4 and 8-1 doubleheader downer, Saturday afternoon.
Game One
Though junior Cortez Espinoza got a late rally going for the Kingsmen in the top of the eighth with a two-RBI double to left center, Cal Lutheran fell just short 6-4 in game one.
On the bump, senior Chris Kovach allowed six runs, five earned, in five innings of work. Picking him up, junior Troy Frazier pitched three shutout innings of relief while fanning four to close the game. This morning was the third consecutive shutout relief outing for the right-hander, each for two frames or longer.
Offensively, Espinoza led the day with three-RBIs while sophomore Daniel Parr notched his seventh multi-hit performance in the last eight games, going 2-for-4 at the plate. But the pair, along with the rest of the order, struggled to get men across early after getting behind 4-0 after the third.
Cal Lutheran took two runs back, though, in the top of the sixth with a bases-loaded error and RBI-walk from senior Kaden White. Unfortunately, the Tigers pushed the lead back to four in their half of the frame and shut things down after the Kingsmen's two runs in the eighth.
Game Two
Dismally, game two did not fare much better for the Kingsmen as the afternoon only got uglier, with the Tigers ending up on top 8-1. Parr once again, led the team offensively with another 2-for-4 outing and the Kingsmen's lone RBI of the match.
Defensively, sophomore Scott Roberts got the nod, but was roughed up for six runs, four earned, in 4.1 innings on the mound. Relieving him, sophomore Clay Rickerman allowed one run in the sixth, before handing the ball over to sophomore Zach Hardman who gave up a late run of his own in the final 2.2 frames.
The lone run for Cal Lutheran came late in the eighth on a two-out RBI-single to left by Parr to bring senior Anthony Sidley home from second.
Saturday's results move the Kingsmen to 24-13 on the year and tied for third in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference at 13-8. Cal Lutheran returns to the field at 3 p.m. on Friday, May 3, against the Whittier Poets for the regular season series of the year.
Box Score: OXY 6, CLU 4; OXY 8, CLU 1
Baseball Instagram: @kingsmen_baseball
Baseball Twitter: @CLUBaseball
CLU Instagram: @clusports
CLU Twitter: @CLUSports
CLU Facebook: CLU Sports
Hashtags: #clusports #goregals #gokingsmen #ownthethrone #theSCIAC #ncaad3
Release by Christy Effendie, Assistant Sports Information Director