By Jacob Norling
(SANTA BARBARA, Calif.) Westmont Baseball (7-3, 2-0) utilized a pair of last-inning rallies to capture two come-from-behind victories on Friday against the visiting San Diego Christian Hawks (2-7, 0-2). After a 5-3 start in non-conference play, the Warriors opened up their GSAC slate with a 6-5 win in game one, followed by a 5-4 win in game two.
In the first half of the doubleheader, Westmont starter Chad Stoner labored in the first inning, throwing more than forty pitches while limiting the Hawks to only one run. San Diego Christian added one more in the fourth inning on a solo home run by Ryan Listlund.
Stoner walked six in five innings of work but allowed no further damage, allowing Westmont's lineup to settle in against visiting starter, Pablo Small. Small kept Westmont bats quiet until the fifth inning, when fifth-year transfer John Jensen launched his fourth home run of the young season, this time a two-run shot to knot the score at two.
In the sixth inning the Hawks added two runs, first on an RBI-double by pinch hitter Kennedy Chun, and later on a Jake Luther RBI-single.
San Diego Christian added another insurance run in the top of the ninth, and the Warriors headed into their final at bat trailing 5-2. Westmont led off the ninth with a hit batsmen and a walk, followed by a strike out and a sac fly to bring them within two while down to their final out.
Josh Rego came up with runners at the corners and two outs, and hit a high chopper up the middle that was bobbled for a brief moment, allowing Rego to beat the throw by mere inches. In a 5-4 game with runners on first and second, redshirt junior Daniel Netz singled through the left side allowing senior Andrew Bayard to scurry home, tying up the score at five.
Two pitches later, pinch runner Paul Mezurashi stole third, representing the winning run ninety feet away. Senior Alex Stufft then hit a high chopper much like the one hit by Rego minutes earlier, and like his teammate, Stufft was able to beat the throw, giving Westmont the walk-off win by a score of 6-5.
Game two started off very similarly for Westmont, this time with starter Jameson Krueger displaying command issues. The right-hander walked five while surrendering three runs early.
Westmont bats woke up earlier in game two however, with Thomas Rudinsky driving in a first inning run, and Stufft bringing in a pair with a double in the fourth.
The score remained tied at three heading into the seventh and final inning when the Hawks took the lead on a sac fly by Ryan Listlund, causing the San Diego Christian bench to erupt, believing for a moment they had put their frustrations to rest.
Westmont had other ideas heading into the bottom of the seventh as Stufft, the hero of game one, led off with a triple to left center, beating the relay throw by an eyelash and roaring into his dugout upon seeing the umpire's verdict.
The next two batters failed to drive Stufft in and when Westmont slugger John Jensen stepped to the plate representing the potential winning run the Hawks intentionally walked him, deciding to take their chances with Thomas Rudinsky. On an 0-2 pitch to Rudinsky, Jensen swiped second without a throw as a breaking ball missed above the zone.
And on the very next pitch, Rudinsky served a line drive to shallow left field, just out of the reach of Hawks left fielder Johnny Radomskiy, dropping in for a two-run walk off single as the Warriors stormed the field for the second time on Friday.
Although his clubbed escaped with two wins, Westmont head coach Robert Ruiz made it clear that Westmont played far from flawless baseball, surrendering thirteen walks during Friday's double header while also leaving eleven men on base.
Coach Ruiz said, "We certainly didn't play our best baseball, we put ourselves in hard situations, we didn't execute with runners in scoring position, and we were playing a little deflated at times."
Coach Ruiz went on to compliment his club's resiliency, stating "To pull together enough competitive will to scrap it out makes me excited for those guys. I think that's a sign of a team that could be really good if they understand that we need to be better from start to finish."
The Warriors and Hawks are set for another doubleheader tomorrow, with the first pitch of game one slated for 11:00 AM.
Spectators will not be permitted to attend games in person, due to state and local COVID-19 mandates. To follow tomorrow's action, fans can watch live broadcasts on the Westmont Sports Network available at https://athletics.westmont.edu/video or through Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV or Roku.
