Warrior bats fired off 14 hits and Warrior pitchers limited runs to the sixth inning as Westmont Baseball (5-2, 2-2 GSAC) posted a 9-3 Golden State Athletic Conference win over the Hawks of San Diego Christian (3-2, 2-2) on Friday afternoon at Russ Carr Field.
Starting pitcher Russell Harmening (2-0) allowed three runs on just five hits in six innings of work, he struck out three and walked one. Stephen Larson came on in relief and picked-up a save with three innings of one-hit work. Larson, who struck out four and walked two, did not surrender a run.
Westmont opened the scoring with two runs in the bottom of the second inning. Right fielder Blake Matthias, who went two for five with two runs and three RBIs, scored when shortstop Rudy Leon singled to right field. Leon, then, scored from first on a double by catcher Ryan Crowe.
In the bottom of the third, Westmont took control of the game by putting six more runs on the board. Freshman second baseman Michael Stefanic, who went three for four with a run and one RBI in his collegiate debut, led off with a single up the middle. After designated hitter Alex Bush walked, center fielder Will Barring laid a bunt single down the third base line to fill the sacks with Warriors. With nobody out, Matthias stepped to the plate and ripped a triple down the right field line to drive in three runs.
Two outs later, Leon was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners. Crowe then singled through the left side to score Matthias and move Leon to second. After Ryan Beveridge replaced Crowe at first as a courtesy runner, left fielder Steven Pollex singled through the right side to drive in Leon and move Beveridge to third. That drove Hawk’s starting pitcher Gio Ochoa from the game but it did not end the scoring. Stefanic connected for his second single of the inning, driving in Beveridge.
The final run of the game came in the bottom of the sixth inning. Barring produced a lead-off single on a ground ball up the middle and then stole second base. One out later, Barring took third on a ground out by first baseman David Gabel. Turner Conrad came in as a pinch hitter and picked up an RBI with a single to left.
The Warriors and Hawks will meet up again tomorrow in a doubleheader at Russ Carr Field beginning at 11:00 a.m.
