Photo by: Nicole Gervais
ORANGE, Calif. – Just 24 hours after Chapman shut down the Whittier bats, it was the Poets pitching staff who returned the favor as it was the backbone in a doubleheader sweep of the No. 3 Panthers on Saturday afternoon, 2-1 and 6-4.
Ryan Schwenn started Game 1 and pitched 6.0 innings, allowing just one unearned run. Although he didn't factor in the decision he struck out three batters and left the game in the seventh when Austin Nogueira took the mound.
Nogueira picked up his second win in as many outings going 1.2 innings and striking out one. Mike Rueda and Taylor Fallon finished off the Panthers combining for 1.1 innings of one-hit baseball.
Fallon earned the save.
The Poets (3-1) scored their runs in the top half of the fourth on a leadoff, inside the park, homerun by Cory Goodchild. He finished 2-for-3 at the dish with one run and one RBI.
Chapman (1-2) answered in the home half of the inning but gave up the lead in the eighth when Dan Gleiberman hit an RBI single to score Sean-Michael Nada.
Gleiberman and Goodchild each finished with two hits.
In the night cap it was freshman Mitch Petersen who got off to a rough start in his college debut but he gave way to Casey Serna after throwing 3.0 innings and allowing just two runs. Serna, who eventually earned the win, went 2.2 innings and gave up one run on three hits with the lone strikeout of the game for the Poets.
Andrew Pigott tossed 2.0 innings in relief and Fallon closed the door again, earning his second save, with 1.1 innings of work.
Whittier threw a four spot in the board in the fourth inning led by an Alex Gast three-RBI double. Gast was at it again an inning later with a two-RBI double. He finished 3-for-3 from the plate with 5 RBI and one run scored.
Andrew Vallejo scored twice on three hits and Darby Weppner added two runs on a pair of hits.
For the twin bill the Poets totaled 20 hits after collected just one in Friday's single game.
Whittier returns to action on Wednesday, February 9, against Concordia (Cal.) at 2:30 pm.
