Lutheran Overcomes Gonzaga

Had Cal Lutheran College baseball Coach Al Schoenberger been able to foresee before Wednesday’s game that the third and fourth hitters in his lineup would collect only a single between them, and that opposing Gonzaga University would score nine runs, he might have told the Kingsmen not to bother taking the field.

Luckily for Lutheran, Schoenberger is not a psychic.

The Kingsmen pounded four Gonzaga pitchers for 14 hits, including six for extra bases, to post an 11-9 come-from-behind non-conference victory at home.

Although usually productive Todd Dewey and Robb Burden had silent bats, everyone else in the lineup hit safely and either scored or drove in a run.

Lutheran (9-6) overcame an 8-5 deficit by scoring six runs in the seventh inning on five hits and two Gonzaga errors. After the outburst, Schoenberger brought in 6-3, 225-pound senior relief pitcher Dave Muhlethaler, who struck out four over the last two innings.

“That big guy throws 17 strikes out of every 19 pitches,” Schoenberger said of Muhlethaler after the game. “How’s that for a statistic? He cures headaches. It’s like, ‘Take three aspirin and sit down.’ ”

It was Lutheran’s hitting that caused Gonzaga the most pain and allowed Muhlethaler to pick up his fourth save.

Doubles by Jon Egertson, Kevin Wynn, Bob Ginther and Fred Perez accounted for three runs in the first inning off Gonzaga starter John Hyland. Ginther’s hit extended his season-long hitting streak to 15 games.

Hyland headed off the mound for an early shower in the fourth, and the Kingsmen treated his successors just as rudely. Egertson, Wynn, Derrick Evans and Chris Vanole each had two hits for Lutheran, while Perez homered, doubled and singled to boost his batting average over .500.

“His bat is as hot as a branding iron,” Schoenberger said of Perez, a senior third baseman.

Gonzaga (7-3) scored four runs in the second inning on four hits and two errors off Kingsmen starter Larry Fukuoka. After giving up two more runs in the fifth, Fukuoka gave way in the fifth to Kaipo Lau, who improved his record to 1-1 by winning in relief.

Lau gave up two runs in the sixth on two hits, a walk and another error to increase the Bulldog lead to 8-5.

Then the Kingsmen exploded.

Shortstop Greg Nocero led off the Lutheran seventh with a home run to left field, and before the Kingsmen were done hitting, five more runs had scored. Midway through the inning, Dave Rainey replaced Chris McGahan, who had taken over for Hyland.

Rainey couldn’t douse the fire, however, allowing singles to each of the three hitters he faced. Bruce Molina finally got the side out.

McGahan was one of four former Crespi High players on the Gonzaga roster. The rest were shortstop Jeff Cummins, first baseman Shane McClary and outfielder Kim O’Neil.

They were outplayed by ex-Crespi teammate Wynn, however. The freshman Lutheran outfielder doubled, singled, walked, scored three runs and drove in two. About a dozen current Crespi players attended the game.

Gonzaga, a NCAA Division I school located in Spokane, Wash., is on a nine-game trip through California and Nevada. Tuesday night they defeated USC, 7-1, after being beaten by UCLA, 14-6, earlier in the day.

“We may have been mentally tired after our big win last night,” Gonzaga coach Steve Hertz said. “But a good team plays well day after day. Cal Lutheran just outhit us today.”

Schoenberger agreed. “We hit the ball hard all day. Everyone contributed--that was the key. Gonzaga has an outstanding hitting ball club, but we muscled up and hit right along with them.”