ORANGE, Calif. — Cal Lutheran Baseball will play Sunday for a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Championship. After falling to Chapman 5-2, the Kingsmen bounced back and defeated La Verne 3-2.
The Purple and Gold face Chapman on Sunday at 11 a.m. The Kingsmen need two wins to defeat the Panthers in the double-elimination tournament. Game two would start around thirty minutes after the conclusion of a game one win.
Tristan Dupont got the call for the elimination game. He pitched 4.2 innings and allowed just four hits, one earned run and struck out two batter.
Clay Rickerman came in and continued the strong pitching for the Kingsmen. He went 3.1 innings with three strikeouts. He allowed just one hit and one run and got the win. Zach Hardman came in for the save as he shut down the Leopards in the ninth.
Harrison Dunkel drove in the game-winning run in the top of the ninth. Ben Wangrin doubled to start the inning and advanced to third after a throwing error by the right fielder. After an out, Dunkel stepped in the box and hit a clutch single to center field.
Game Two (CLU 3, ULV 2)
After La Verne got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, Cal Lutheran answered in the fifth. Nick Fusari doubled, scoring Josh Ortega, and the game was tied.
The Kingsmen scored another in the top of the sixth to take the lead. Wangrin doubled, as Nick Rhoades raced home to score.
The pitchers kept the bats quiet for almost the rest of the game. La Verne finally broke through again and tied up the game in the bottom of the eighth.
Cal Lutheran was quick to answer in the ninth. Wangrin doubled to start the inning and advanced to third on an error. Dunkel gave CLU the lead as he connected on a single, scoring Wangrin.
Game One (CU 5, CLU 2)
Against Chapman, Mason Snodgrass got the start. He went 7.0 innings, five innings of scoreless ball, but the Panthers got to him in with two runs in the first and three in the sixth. He struck out three but gave up seven hits and five runs (four earned runs).
Matt Campo and Hardman combined for a shutout in the eighth and ninth as the Kingsmen looked for a comeback.
Cal Lutheran got one run in the third as Kyle Reuser recorded a RBI. In the eighth, the Kingsmen had the Panthers on the ropes.
Fusari led off the inning with a walk and Reuser followed with the same thing. Bullard kept it rolling with a double, scoring Fusari, and the Kingsmen had runners on second and third with no outs. The Panthers countered with a new pitcher and it worked out perfectly as the Kingsmen batters got three straight outs. The Panthers controlled from start to finish as Chapman defeated Cal Lutheran 5-2.
Box Score: CU 5, CLU 2; CLU 3, ULV 2
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director
