LAVERNE, Calif. - The Gannon men's water polo team kicked off its California trip Friday evening with a split, defeating Caltech 17-3 in the opener and falling to No. 20 Cal Baptist 15-3.

In the first match, Gannon out-scored Caltech 5-1 in each of the first two quarters and went to halftime with a commanding 10-2 lead. The Golden Knights led 12-3 after three quarters, before shutting out the Beavers 5-0 in the final eight minutes.

John Krakowski (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep) and Greg Naranjo (Coral Springs, Fla./Stoneman Douglas) led the offensive attack with hat tricks. Greg Nelson (Homewood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor), Stephen Espinet (Port of Spain, Trinidad/Maple Leaf), Phil Myrick (Erie, Pa./Cathedral Prep), Rob Bullion (Tonawanda, N.Y./Kenmore East), and Kenny Milburn (Camp Hill, Pa./Cumberland Valley) netted two goals each.

David Landry (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon Area) completed the scoring with one goal. Neal Zoellick (Homewood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) recorded nine saves in the victory.

In the nightcap, No. 20 Cal Baptist jumped on Gannon early. The Lancers led 5-0 after one quarter, 11-1 at halftime, and 12-3 after three quarters. Cal Baptist scored three unanswered goals in the final frame to account for the 15-3 score.

Krakowski produced two of Gannon's three goals. Ben Syme (Victoria, B.C./Claremont Secondary) added the third score. Zoellick made a career-high 20 saves between the pipes.

Gannon moved its record to 7-6 with Friday's split. Caltech dropped to 0-2 while Cal Baptist improved to 11-2. The Golden Knights continue their California trip Saturday, October 3 against No. 14 Concordia (Calif.) (4 p.m.) and Pomona Pitzer (8 p.m.).

Gannon Men's Water Polo Box Score
Non-Conference Match
Friday, October 2, 2009

Team (1st - 2nd - 3rd - 4th - Final)
Caltech (1 - 1 - 1 - 0 - 3)
Gannon (5 - 5 - 2 - 5 - 17)

Gannon Goals (17)
John Krakowski (3)
Greg Naranjo (3)
Greg Nelson (2)
Stephen Espinet (2)
Phil Myrick (2)
Rob Bullion (2)
Kenny Milburn (2)
David Landry (1)

Gannon Goalkeeper
Neal Zoellick - 9 saves

Caltech Goals (3)
Not Available

Records
Caltech (0-2 overall)
Gannon (7-5 overall)

Gannon Men's Water Polo Box Score
Non-Conference Match
Friday, October 2, 2009

Team (1st - 2nd - 3rd - 4th - Final)
Cal Baptist (5 - 6 - 1 - 3 - 15)
Gannon (0 - 1 - 2 - 0 - 3)

Gannon Goals (3)
John Krakowski (2)
Ben Syme (1)

Gannon Goalkeeper
Neal Zoellick - 20 saves

Cal Baptist Goals (15)
Not available

Records
Cal Baptist (11-2 overall)
Gannon (7-6 overall)