WHITTIER, Calif. - The
Whittier College baseball team earned a doubleheader split with
Occidental College on Saturday afternoon as the Poets shrugged off
a third inning grand slam by the Tigers to win 7-6 in Game 1.
Occidental rebounded in Game 2 as they led the entire way en route
to the 7-3 win.
The Poets (12-25, 6-12 SCIAC) scored two runs in the top of the
first inning off pitcher Brooks Belter but were
limited to just one more run off the Tiger's starter.
Anthony Cappelletti doubled home Reed
Tuttle and Austin Straus picked up an RBI
has he drove in Cappelletti with a double.
The two team traded scoreless innings in the second before
Occidental (13-24, 3-15 SCIAC) cashed in with a five-run third.
Richie Veihl led the inning off with single and scored on a wild
pitch after he advanced two second on a sacrifice bunt. Oxy kept
the pressure on the Poets as the next three batters reached base
safely to set up Kieran Doherty's grand slam.
Whittier got one run back in the fourth inning to make the score
5-3 and added two more runs in the seventh and eighth innings to
take a 7-6 lead.
The Poets collected two runs on three hits and an error in the
seventh and plated two more runs on a two-RBI single by Straus in
the eighth.
Mike Hachadorian earned his second win of the
season as he closed the door on the Tigers with three scoreless
innings in relief. Ryan Schwenn started for the
Poets and went six innings and allowed six runs on seven hits.
Straus led the Poets in Game 1 with four RBIs and four hits.
Cappelletti added two hits and three runs.
The Tigers were paced by Jason Jebbia and Steve Schaffer who
each had multi-hit games.
Ross Pomerantz suffered the loss for the Tigers as he came in
relief to throw two innings. He allowed two runs on two hits.
The Tigers jumped on the Poets quickly in the second game as
they scored two runs in the first. Glenn Gray hit a two-out single
that scored Anthony Salsedo and Daniel Kelley. Occidental added one
run in each the third, fourth and fifth inning and tacked on two
runs in the sixth.
Whittier cut the Tiger lead to 5-2 through five full innings but
Oxy's half of the sixth stretched its cushion to 7-2.
The Poets got their runs on an RBI triple by John
Fugazi and an RBI single by Ryan
Crawford. WC added one run in the ninth but it wasn't
enough as Oxy's Noel Banuelos went all nine innings to pick up the
win. He allowed three runs on six hits.
Mike Rueda started for Whittier and went 5.2
innings. He allowed all seven runs (five earned) on nine hits.
Kevin Pigott pitched the final 3.1 innings and
gave up two hits with two strike outs.
Kelley went a perfect 3-for-3 for Occidental while Whittier was
led by the 2-for-4 effort from Cappelletti.
The Poets return to action for their final series of the season
next weekend. WC hosts Cal Lutheran on Friday, May 1, with the
first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m.
