Opening weekend
| Pomona-Pitzer junior relief
pitcher Peter Klingman. Pomona-Pitzer athletics photo |
The D-III season opened this weekend with Pomona-Pitzer taking
on NAIA Westmont on Friday to kick off the 2012 D-III season.
Elsewhere in Southern California, Cal Lutheran
opened with two home wins on Saturday against San Diego
Christian while Caltech dropped two to Pacifica. On Sunday
Occidental joined Cal Lutheran at 2-0 with two wins against La
Sierra.
The Sagehens got a good pitching effort from Travis Rooke-Ley, and
strong offensive performances from Erik Munzer and James Campbell
in their 7-7 tie with Westmont. The Sagehens manufactured a run in
the ninth for the tie as the game was ended due to darkness. Munzer
and Campbell were each 2-for-4, while Nick Gentili was 2-for-3 with
two runs scored, including the key tying run in the bottom of the
ninth. Rooke-Ley struck out eight in 5.2 innings of work while
allowing three runs. The Sagehens will return to the field against
Whitman, looking to earn their first win of the season.
Playing through gusty wind, the Kingsmen of Cal Lutheran earned
a 7-6 extra innings victory and a seven inning 4-1 win in a game
cut short due to darkness. Byron Minnich earned the start on the
mound for Cal Lutheran's season opener, his program record 62nd
career appearance. John Leal drove in three runs and scored three
runs, including the tying and winning runs, to lead all Cal
Lutheran players. Chris Park tossed two shutout innings to close
out the game and pick up the win.
In game two, Cal Lutheran starting pitcher John LaMoure scattered
seven hits over six innings to earn a victory in his first start
this season. Garrett Smith's second inning RBI-single put the
Kingsmen up 2-0, and a fifth inning two-run double by Kevin Leonard
put the home side up 4-1. Seven different Kingsmen collected a base
hit in the game.
| Albie Lavin had two hits and
pitched four innings in Caltech's 10-9 loss to
Pacifica. Caltech athletics photo |
Caltech opened the 2012 baseball season with a doubleheader against Pacifica. The two seven-inning games saw the the Gladitors come away with victories but not without a serious fight from the Beavers. The Beavers suffered a 7-2 loss in game one, but came out fighting in game two. Caltech jumped out early in the second game with the game's first run in the bottom of the first but in a back and forth game, fell one rally short, 9-10. Brendan Sheehan led the Beavers offense with a 3-for-4 effort with three RBI's. Daniel Sexton went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBI's. Eric Schropp scored three of the Beaver runs.
