WHITTIER, Calif. - Whittier
College and the University of La Verne totaled six hours and 40
minutes of playing time on Saturday afternoon at Memorial Field as
the Leopards defeated the Poets in a pair of Southern California
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball games, 13-11 and 10-3.
The first game of the double-header went 11 innings thanks to
Ian Bablewski. Bablewski hit a pinch-hit two-out,
three-run, homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning to erase an
11-8 La Verne lead and send the game to an extra frame.
La Verne (13-10, 3-6 SCIAC) scored three runs in the top of the
first and added two more in its half of the third but the Poets
(10-17, 4-5 SCIAC) were right there to answer with two runs in the
first and three of its own runs in the third to make the score 5-5
after three.
The Leopards scored six runs over the next three innings to take
an 11-5 lead through seven innings but Whittier climbed back in the
game with seven hits in the eighth and ninth inning.
The first two batters of the Poets' half of the eighth inning
reached base but a double play left Pete Mitchell
on third base with two outs. Michael Benavente
drove Mitchell home in the next at bat and Benavente scored one
batter later after Anthony Cappelletti hit his
eighth homerun of the year.
The three-run eighth inning cut the lead to 11-8.
WC stood strong in the La Verne half of the ninth despite a
fielding error that prolonged the inning. La Verne's Jon-Michael
Hattabaugh hit a double down the left field line but Mike Moretti
was thrown out at home on a relay from Cappelletti to
Taylor Fallon to Mitchell to keep the Poets within
three runs.
La Verne recorded two quick outs to open the bottom of the ninth
but Spencer Lanoue kept the Poets alive with a
pinch-hit single. Mitchell singled in the next bat to bring up
Bablewski with two men on base.
Mitchell finished the first game 3-for-5 with two runs scored
while Lorenzo Lopez went 4-for-6 with a pair of
RBIs and one run scored.
WC went 1-2-3 in the 10th and La Verne scored twice in the 11th
inning which proved the difference in the game.
Mike Hachadoria pitched well in relief as he
went six innings and allowed three runs with six strike outs.
Kevin Pigott was tagged with the loss as he went
1.2 innings and allowed two runs.
Game 1 lasted four hours.
The second game didn't have the fireworks that the first game
had but it did see Cappelletti's hit streak extended to 15 games as
he went 1-for-3.
Benavente added a 2-for-4 performance while Anthony
Tsui pitched four innings and allowed three unearned runs.
La Verne scored five runs in the second inning en route to the
win.
The Poets return to action in 10 days on Tuesday, April 7, as
they face Biola at 3 p.m. on the road.
