LA VERNE, Calif. --- The Pacific Lutheran Baseball team completed their road trip to southern California, finishing with a morning matchup against Pomona Pitzer. A late push by the Sagehens proved to be too much for the Lutes to come back from. Pomona took Sunday's game, 5-3.
 
Junior Kamryn Swartz earned his first start in the black and gold, the transfer had previously made one appearance in relief.
 
Following a clean first inning, Swartz found himself in some trouble when the leadoff batter reached on an error and later scored on a passed ball to give the Sagehens a 1-0 lead. Hayden Kaiser opened the third inning with the first hit for the Lutes. Kaiser would go on to tie the game at 1-1 after Carson Burke singled into left field.
 
Swartz walked his first batter of the home half of the third, which was followed by a home run, taking the lead once again, 3-1. The junior college transfer would settle down after giving up the deep ball, allowing just two hits over the next two innings of his outing.
 
Down by two, the Lutes would find a way by executing on the basepaths. Ashton Barton, Rutger Youch, and Rochne Beecham reached on three consecutive infield errors. The third error, forced by Beecham, brought Barton and Youch home, tying the game up at 3-3.
 
Anthony Adams came in to relieve Swartz, to which he would pitch clean sixth and seventh innings. Jake Prewett came in to relieve Adams after the senior walked the second batter in the eighth. Prewett walked the first batter he faced, which lead to the two runners stealing second and third. A one-out single through the left side scored both runners and gave the Sagehens a 5-3 lead.
 
Two groundouts and a strikeout by the Lutes in the top of the ninth ended the game as they picked up the loss, 5-3.
 
The Lutes scored three runs on four hits, meanwhile the Sagehens had five runs on six hits. The four PLU hits came from four different hitters, with Burke and Beecham earning one RBI a piece. Swartz was credited with the loss on Sunday, but he allowed just three hits over five innings and earning two of three runs. The Everett, Wash. native struck out five and walked four in his starting debut.
 
The Lutes turn back around and head across Tacoma to take on the Loggers on Tuesday, February 27^th, at 2:30 p.m.
 
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