The Middlebury baseball team fell 10-1 to #23 California Lutheran on Monday in the rubber match of a three-game series. The teams split Sunday's doubleheader with the Panthers taking the opener 5-4 and the Kingsmen claiming the nightcap 16-6 to give Cal Lutheran the series win.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The hosts tallied an unearned run in the first inning. Wyatt Crosby reached on an error and scampered to third base, before touching home on a sacrifice fly by Kai Caranto for the 1-0 lead. 
• Cal Lutheran made it a 2-0 contest a stanza later when Zach Gardner lifted a solo home run over the centerfield wall.
• The Panthers loaded the bases in the third with one out as Carter Chi, Brayden Mathews and Brian Olson were each hit by a pitch. Kingsmen Frank Willius wiggled his way out of the jam by inducing a popup and striking out the next batter to maintain the two-run edge.
• Cal Lutheran pushed across an unearned tally in the fifth. Noah Matsumoto led off with a base hit to left, moved to third on a Middlebury fielding miscue and scored on a sac fly.
• The Kingsmen touched home plate twice in the sixth and three more times in the seventh, including a two-run double by Lucas Danielewicz, for an 8-0 advantage.
• Kyle McCausland got the Panthers on the board in the eighth with his team-leading third homer that sailed over the left-field wall to make it 8-1 and rob the hosts of a shutout.
• Cal Lutheran manufactured two runs in the eighth for the final 10-1 tally.

NOTES

• McCausland continues to increase his program-record roundtripper total, blasting his 31st in the blue and white uniform.
• The programs played for the sixth time with Middlebury holding a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series.

The Panthers have a day off before returning to action on Wednesday against Redlands with the first pitch of the single game slated for 6:00 p.m. ET.