THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Visiting Whitworth dropped both halves of a non-conference baseball doubleheader at California Lutheran on Saturday, losing the opener 11-2 and the second game 7-6.
The Pirates (3-7) dropped to 0-3 on their second trip of the season to Southern California. CLU improved to 3-2. The teams will complete the three-game series on Sunday.
Elijah Tanner finished 4 for 8 with three RBIs on the day for Whitworth.
Game 1: Cal Lutheran 11, Whitworth 2
The Pirates outhit the Kingsmen 10-8, but Whitworth walked six batters and hit four others to give CLU ten extra base-runners.
The Bucs took an early 2-1 lead in the third with an RBI single by Riley Cissne and an RBI double by Tanner.
The Kingsmen scored four in the fourth to grab a lead they would only stretch. Joseph Scalzo drilled a three-run home run and Jalen Park followed with a solo shot to cap the rally.
CLU added four more in the fifth, including an RBI single by Scalzo and a run-scoring double by Parks.
Scalzo added a sacrifice fly in the sixth for his fifth RBI of the game.
Dylan Bishop (0-1) started on the mound for Whitworth and allowed nine runs (seven earned) on seven hits and three walks. Mason Greene and Josh Grimes followed up in relief.
Chris Torres (1-0) went six innings for the Kingsmen, giving up two runs while scattering seven hits.
Game 2: Cal Lutheran 7, Whitworth 6
The Kingsmen scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to rally back from a 6-3 deficit.
Tanner got the Bucs on the board with an infield RBI single in the top of the first. The Pirates built a 4-1 lead by the fourth inning with a three-run rally. Aaron Clogston had an RBI single and Ty Komoda followed with an RBI double. The final run scored on a CLU error.
Tanner added an RBI single in the fifth and Aidan Morrison had a two-run double in the seventh to give the Bucs a 6-3 lead.
The Kingsmen scored four in the bottom of the seventh, capped by Kyle Reuser's two-run home run.
The Pirates were retired in order in both the eighth and ninth innings.
Landon Shigeta started on the mound for Whitworth and allowed three runs on three hits and two walks in 3.2 innings. Hunter Williams (0-1) suffered the loss in relief after giving up four runs on four hits and five walks in four innings.
John Frazer threw the first five innings for CLU and allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits and four walks. Clay Rickerman (1-0) got the win with 2.1 innings of perfect relief.
