Pitching Lifts CLU to Brink of Title

The Cal Lutheran baseball team won twice Tuesday in the NCAA Division III championships in Salem, Va., propelling the Kingsmen into the national championship game today at 9 a.m. PST against William Paterson College.

Today’s showdown is a rematch of the 1992 championship game in which William Paterson overcame a 1-0 ninth-inning deficit to win, 3-1.

Tuesday, Cal Lutheran defeated William Paterson (N.J.), 3-2, then knocked off Bridgewater (Mass.) State, 3-1, in a semifinal to advance to today’s title game.

Against William Paterson (38-5-1), the Kingsmen (34-13-1) got a complete game from senior right-hander Andrew Barber (9-2), who allowed 10 hits and an earned run while striking out seven and walking four.

Barber threw 156 pitches and did not retire the side in order in any inning. He was helped by a double play in each of the last two innings.

Cal Lutheran staked Barber to a 3-0 lead in the first inning when Tom McGee doubled home Ruben Torres and Rik Work, and Robert Nichols singled in Mike Young.

The Kingsmen withstood single runs by the Pioneers in the sixth and eighth innings.

Against Bridgewater State (31-10), Cal Lutheran again received strong pitching, this time from junior left-hander Richard Bell (10-3), who allowed eight hits and an unearned run while striking out six and walking two.

The game was scoreless until the bottom of the sixth when Cal Lutheran’s Eric Buben singled home Frank Maldonado.

The Kingsmen made it 3-0 lead in the seventh. Nichols scored from first when a fly ball by Sean Smith was dropped in the outfield. Smith later scored from third on a single by Maldonado.

Freshman left-hander Erik Kiszczak (9-2) is expected to start today’s championship game.

“Kiszczak is only a freshman but he’s ready to go,” Cal Lutheran Coach Marty Slimak said. “This is the national championship game. If that doesn’t pump you up I don’t know what will.”