On Friday Feb. 4, the California Lutheran University Kingsmen baseball team defeated Puget Sound University, 12-1. 

Head Coach Marty Slimak said the Kingsmen had a strong first few innings and some good pitching all the way through. 

“We expected to win, we always want to do that, and the guys played well,” Slimak said.

In the first inning, Puget Sound scored one run due to an error being allowed. The Kingsmen were held scoreless up until the third inning where they scored five runs due to contributions from junior infielder Zach Lafata and senior first baseman Zach Bullard. Later, in that same inning, junior infielder Kyle Reuser hit an RBI, adding to the score for the Kingsmen..

The Kingsmen went on to score two more runs in the sixth inning thanks to the assistance of junior outfielder Austin Carillo and junior outfielder Max Heverly. The team furthered their win in the eighth inning with five more runs, two of which were contributed by junior infielder Nolan Brooks.

The Kingsmen stopped Puget Sound from scoring with their pitches and solid defense, never once allowing Puget Sound the chance to bounce back as the Kingsmen emerged with a landslide victory against their opponent. 

This win marked the first win of the Kingsmen’s season as they got the victory in front of the home crowd.

Many runs and outs were pushed away by the wind, but it was of little concern to the players.

“We have to play with what we have going on,” said senior Zack Bullard, first baseman on the team.

The Kingsmen were also very encouraged by the crowd turnout and cheers, as this game was the opening day game and set the mood for the rest of the season. 

“It was a good first opening day, and seeing everybody there packing the stands for both sides, it was amazing,” said senior Alexander Rivas, right hand pitcher for the Kingsmen.

After so long in quarantine, a sentiment of appreciation was expressed by Bullard as well.

“It was great this year, having a crowd behind us,” Bullard said. 

Head Coach Slimak was surprised to see a large crowd in the stadium. The bleachers were packed with audience members for both teams, cheering the players on whenever good plays were made.

“I was surprised we had both sides of the stadium full so that was great,” Slimak said.

The Head Coach was excited to see the crowd, explaining that it was nice to see fans in the bleachers cheering them on.

“We had a little bit of a season last year, but it’s always great to know that you’re going to get a full season—we hope,” Slimak said.

The Kingsmen went on to play three more games on Saturday and Sunday against the Pirates, and won those as well. The Kingsmen have started off the season with a perfect record of 4-0.

The next home game for the Kingsmen baseball team will be Saturday, Feb. 26, against Caltech.