Cal Lutheran Loses Doubleheader to Southern California College

The mention of Cal Lutheran hardly strikes fear in the hearts of baseball pitchers in the Southland, but after the Kingsmen’s first eight games, they had quietly put together a lofty .385 team batting average.

Four regulars were hitting at least .400, and the team was scoring more than 11 runs a game.

Southern California College, for one, wasn’t all that impressed and handed Cal Lutheran a pair of losses--5-4 and 5-2--Saturday in an NAIA doubleheader in Costa Mesa.

The Kingsmen fell to 7-3 overall, 3-2 in the NAIA District 3. Southern California is 10-6, 3-0.

As if dropping a doubleheader wasn’t bad enough, Cal Lutheran also lost one of its best pitchers. Gene McGary (2-0), a right-hander who started the first game, had to leave the mound with one out in the fourth, when he felt a pop in his pitching elbow.

McGary will be examined by the team physician on Monday.