BOSTON K PARTY

By Brandon Petersen

Westcliff delivered a complete performance Tuesday night at OC Great Park, riding a dominant start from Boston Souza and a relentless offensive attack to an emphatic 8-0 victory over Whittier College.

Souza set the tone early and never let go, tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out seven to earn his first win of the season.

The right-hander controlled the tempo from the opening frame, keeping Whittier off balance and giving the Warriors a steady presence on the mound.

"Boston's coming up big for us," head coach Dylan Hoffman said. "I'll be honest — he wasn't one of the guys we expected to be a starter this season, but he's shown me why I was wrong.

"He's earned it, and he's going to keep going for us. He's a good change of pace, and the guys love seeing him out there."

With Souza cruising, the Warriors' offense provided more than enough support, erupting for eight runs on 14 hits while maintaining consistent pressure throughout the lineup.

Westcliff struck early with runs in the first and second innings, highlighted by an RBI single from Patrick Morgan and a two-run second frame capped by Ben Carter's RBI knock.

The Warriors broke the game open in the seventh, sending nine batters to the plate and scoring five runs to put the contest out of reach.

Ryan Duron led the attack with three hits, including a triple, while Carter added two hits and two RBIs.

Kimata finished with two hits, an RBI and a stolen base, and Landon Raskin scored twice as Westcliff's lineup stayed locked in from top to bottom.

"We switched up our approach a little bit during practice," Hoffman said. "The guys just had fun with it tonight, and that's what we were missing. I think we let the game get too stressful for us. Seeing all the smiles and everyone locked in one through nine — that was really exciting to see."

Slater Theisen and Matthew Panzica combined to close the door.

For Panzica, it was a nice homecoming after being out early this season with an injury.

Always good to see the Canuck.

Up next, the Dubs travel up the road to Cal State LA, where a 6 p.m. first pitch awaits Friday.