THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Zach Lafata hit a two-run homer, Chris Torres pitched 5.2 innings, and Cal Lutheran baseball defeated Occidental 9-3 to kick off their series on Friday afternoon. 

With the win, the Kingsmen improve to 8-2 in conference play and 13-7 overall. 

Torres got the win as he pitched 5.2 innings for the Kingsmen. He struck out four, giving up eight hits and just three earned runs. 

The Cal Lutheran bullpen held the Tigers silent as Clay Rickerman, Bryan Tierney, and Dean Olsson all saw action. Rickerman pitched 1.2 innings and only gave up one hit. Bryan Tierney pitched 0.2 innings and recorded a strikeout. Olsson finished the game with 1.0 inning and two strikeouts. 

The offense came from all over the lineup. Sebastian Smith had three RBI, Brendan Durfee and Lafata had two RBI each and Sean Blandino and Josh Quinn had one each. 

Blandino led the way with four hits. Quinn had three, and Max Heverly, Kyle Reuser, Durfee, and Lafata had two each. Durfee and Reuser both had a triple. 

The Kingsmen were the first to score, in the bottom of the first, and the Tigers quickly tied it in the second. The Kingsmen then scored two runs in the second and four in the third, to create some breathing room.  

The Tigers tried to build some momentum at the top of the fourth inning as they managed to score twice. The Kingsmen added one more run in the fourth and seventh, while holding the Tigers scoreless for the remainder of the game. 

The Kingsmen continue the season and series on the road. Cal Lutheran and Occidental play a doubleheader on Saturday with first pitch set for 11 a.m. 

CLU Instagram: @clusports
Sport IG: @kingsmen_baseball
CLU Twitter: @CLUSports
Sport Twitter: @CLUBaseball
CLU Facebook: @clusports
Hashtags: #clusports #ownthethrone #goregals #gokingsmen #theSCIAC #ncaad3