Cal Lutheran Sweeps Before Packing Bags : College baseball: Two victories over Redlands vault Kingsmen into Division III World Series for second year in a row.

Swiftly and mercifully, Cal Lutheran disposed of Redlands on Saturday.

It was the least the Kingsmen could do considering all the Bulldogs did for them.

Cal Lutheran defeated Redlands, 5-0 and 9-2, to complete a sweep of the teams’ best-of-five West Regional baseball series at Moorpark College and earn its second consecutive berth in the Division III World Series.

“I didn’t think they could sweep us but they sure did,” Redlands Coach Ken Miller said. “They are a good team.”

Cal Lutheran (32-7), ranked first in the final regular-season Division III poll, leaves Tuesday for the eight-team, double-elimination World Series at Albion College in Battle Creek, Mich. The tournament begins Thursday and ends June 1.

The Kingsmen were on the verge of winning last season’s national championship game but allowed three runs in the top of the ninth inning in a heartbreaking 3-1 loss to William Paterson College of New Jersey. Cal Lutheran plans a different ending for this one.

“I’ve thought about it for a whole year,” outfielder Pete Martin said. “We’re relaxed and we know what we have to do.”

The Kingsmen certainly knew what to do with the Bulldogs (20-19). Redlands was overmatched from the opening pitch of the series.

After a 23-2 trouncing by Cal Lutheran in Game 1 on Friday, Miller dismissed the outcome and proclaimed his team would be the aggressors in Game 2. Guess again, coach.

Listless Redlands went quietly against Cal Lutheran senior right-hander Jeff Berman (9-2), who mowed down the Bulldogs without breaking much of a sweat, pitching a three-hitter and striking out nine.

“They didn’t show a lot of emotion the whole series,” Berman said. “You could see they kind of knew it was over. Everything was going our way.”

It sure did . . . right to the end.

Senior left-hander Pat Norville (8-1) ended the Bulldogs’ season, giving up only two runs over eight innings of Cal Lutheran’s 9-2 victory in Game 3. Senior right-handed reliever Louis Birdt pitched a hitless ninth to send both teams packing--but only one happily.

Eric Johnson, player of the year in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, was the offensive catalyst in the two games, going four for nine with three runs batted in.

With his team hitting on all cylinders, Coach Rich Hill is poised for the upcoming challenge.

“We’ve got experience from last season and that will help us,” Hill said. “We’re going to be very businesslike and ready.”