REDLANDS, Calif. – The Whittier College men's water polo team picked up its first win of the 2010 season on Saturday afternoon as it went 1-1 on Day 1 of the Inland Empire Classic at Redlands.

The Poets used a 4-0 second quarter to put away Occidental in a non-conference matchup. Brandon Babot scored two of his three goals in the deciding second frame while Rilesh Desai scored one of his team-high four.

The Poets led 7-2 at the intermission and ended the game up 11-5.

Jared Barrientes added a goal in the opening and closing quarters for the Poets, Lincoln Haley scored on a man-up in the first and Keary Schlactus scored in the third for the purple and gold.

The Poets used three goalies in the six-goal win led by Chad Evenrud who made six saves in the first half. He also added two assists.

Chris Maloney made three third-quarter saves and Ryan Rock stopped two fourth-quarter shots.

In addition to his team–high four scores, Desai dished out three assists in the win over the Tigers.

In the second game of the day the Poets battled hard but fell to Division I UC Davis, 12-5.

The Poets fell behind 3-1 after the first quarter but stayed in the game with a three-goal second quarter.

The difference was the start of the second half where UCD held the Poets goalless. WC added one score in the final eight minutes.

One of the stars for the Poets in the second game was Evenrud. The junior goalie made 13 saves which includes two saves in man-down situations and two blocked penalty shots.

The Poets continue play in the Inland Empire Classic tomorrow afternoon.