THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – The Kingsmen
scored nine of their 11 runs in the first two innings on Friday
afternoon as they snapped Whittier's three-game win streak
with an 11-4 win in the first game of the weekend series.
Cal Lutheran got to starting pitcher Darby
Weppner early, plating four runs in the first inning. CLU
followed their explosive first at bat with a five spot in the home
half of the second.
Whittier (4-13, 3-7 SCIAC) faced an 11-0 deficit before
Cory Goodchild drove in Jacob
Storrer with an RBI sacrifice fly in top of the fourth.
Storrer led off the inning with a double to left center.
The Poets pitching staff held Cal Lutheran to just two hits in
the final five innings but the first three Kingsmen at bats proved
to be too much to overcome.
Alex Gast pitched 3.0 innings in relief holding
CLU to just one hit. Weppner suffered his first loss of the season
as he went 5.0 innings allowing 11 runs (10 earned) on 13 hits with
three strike outs.
Storrer provided the purple and gold with their second run of
the game with a solo homerun in the sixth frame and the Poets were
able to add two more runs in the top of the ninth.
Josh Genzuk had an RBI single that scored
Goodchild and Chris Hylland drove in Ryan
Crawford with a single of his own.
Hylland finished the game 3-for-5 with an RBI, Weppner and
Storrer each collected two hits and Goodchild, David
Tucci and Genzuk all had one hit.
The Poets and Kingsmen will resume their series with a double
header at Memorial Field tomorrow afternoon. The first pitch of
Game 1 is slated for 11 am.
