ANTHEM, Ariz. - Despite a late game rally, the Cal Lutheran baseball team was unable to climb out of another early hole and fell to No. 8 Linfield (OR) 10-7 on Saturday afternoon at the Arizona Desert Classic.

Box Score: LIN 10, CLU 7 - F

The Kingsmen scored four runs in the ninth inning, including a three-run home run by senior Richard Michelin that cut the Wildcats' lead in half. The equalizing run came to the plate in the form of both Danny Gallinot and Garrett Smith, however both managed only routine pop outs that ended the rally and comeback attempt.

Mistakes early in the game again played a part in the decision, as CLU allowed seven unearned runs total. Both sides had a number of defensive miscues with the Kingsmen committing six errors, and Linfield a handful of its own.

CLU pitcher Peter Ciaramitaro made his first start on the mound for the Kingsmen and provided the second solid performance in as many days for a CLU starter, following Durham's outing yesterday. The junior transfer threw six innings and allowed only two earned runs, but a couple of errors by the Kingsmen hurler did not help his own cause.

Offensively both Nick Boggan and K.C. Judge rebounded nicely from an off performance yesterday to have a big day at the plate. Boggan went 4-for-5 at the dish and scored three times while Judge went 2-for-5 with an RBI.

The two teams met last year in Arizona, with the Wildcats winning the 2010 contest by a 9-8 margin. Linfield remains undefeated this season (3-0) under former New York Yankee and world champion Scott Brosius.

CLU (1-4) concludes its Arizona road trip against Whitman (WA) on Sunday, Feb. 13 at 10 a.m.