Cal Lutheran Falters 2 Outs From a Title : College baseball: Three-run home run with one out in the ninth inning costs Kingsmen national championship, 3-1.

After staving off elimination in three consecutive games at the NCAA Division III baseball championship tournament, Cal Lutheran was unable to get three consecutive outs in the final inning of the final game Tuesday and that cost the Kingsmen a national title.

Ralph Perdomo slugged a three-run home run off Mike Teron with one out in the ninth inning to give William Paterson College a 3-1 victory before 500 at C.O. Brown Stadium.

The homer gave the Wayne, N.J., school its first national championship but it also broke the hearts of the players from top-ranked Cal Lutheran, who ended its season 42-6.

“To lose the way that we did . . . there’s just a knife in your stomach,” Cal Lutheran Coach Rich Hill said. “To work for 4 1/2 months as hard as we have worked and to lose a national championship like that . . . I’m still in shock.”

Teron, who recorded two saves earlier in the tournament, was even more downcast.

“I just got it up a little bit up and he turned on it,” Teron said softly. “I just threw a bad pitch.”

It was only the second home run the Kingsmen allowed in six tournament games. It was Perdomo’s fifth of the season.

“The first thing that went through my mind was that my senior year in high school I was in a similar situation,” said Perdomo, who homered in the New Jersey state championships.

“I was looking for my pitch. He fell behind (2-and-0) and I got it. I knew I hit it hard. I was looking for three (triple) or two (double), but it carried out.”

The Pioneers (36-7) managed just two hits through eight inning and trailed, 1-0, entering the ninth. Leadoff batter John DiGirolamo started the winning rally when he turned his shoulder into a 1-and-2 pitch from CLU starter Pat Norville.

“He did his job,” Norville said of DiGirolamo. “Smart players are gonna do that.”

Convinced that DiGirolamo intentionally put his body in front of the ball, Hill protested--in vain--to plate umpire Art Clendening.

DiGirolamo said he planned the move en route to the batter’s box.

“I told (on-deck hitter Dan) Bartolomeo that I was turning into one, I’ll be honest,” DiGirolamo said. “Anything to get on base.”

Hill immediately lifted Norville, who left the game with a two-hitter, eight strikeouts and two walks.

“I would like to have had a complete game,” Hill said. “Of course, anyone would with the way Norville was throwing.”

But Hill said he wanted to bring in Teron because he expected the Pioneers would bunt.

“Teron is our best fielding pitcher,” Hill said.

But Bartolomeo could not get the bunt down and Teron struck him out on three pitches.

That was the last bright moment for Cal Lutheran.

With a 1-and-0 count on Keith Eaddy, DiGirolamo stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Eddie Lample.

Lample, who had called for a pitchout, easily beat DiGirolamo with his throw to second, but the ball bounced and hit second baseman Jason Wilcox in the chest before squirting into shallow left field.

DiGirolamo’s stolen base was not authorized by William Paterson Coach Jeff Albies.

“It shows you how much control I have,” Albies said with a laugh. “I couldn’t pull the trigger on it.”

To make matters worse for Cal Lutheran, Teron threw three more balls to Eaddy to put him on first, setting the stage for Perdomo, who quickly cleared the bases with his blast over the center-field fence.

Albies sympathized with the disconsolate Cal Lutheran team, particularly Norville, a junior left-hander from Costa Mesa.

“I told Norville that it was not fitting for him to lose,” Albies said. “He made some pretty good hitters look foolish. I was real happy to see him go in the ninth. We’ll take our chances with anyone else.”

William Paterson pitcher Scott Farber (8-0) was equally impressive, scattering six hits and striking out nine while pitching a complete game.

Bob Farber, the leading Kingsmen hitter in the tournament, scored the only CLU run after doubling to right field to lead off the seventh.

Jim Fifer moved Farber to third with an infield single and Darrell McMillin sliced a looper to shallow left field that brought in Farber for a 1-0 lead.

But the rally ended there when Pete Martin struck out and Wilcox and Lample grounded out.