Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – Fresh off a sweep of SCIAC opponent Caltech, the Whittier College baseball team returned to Memorial Field Sunday and stunned the Bruins of George Fox University 6-3 for their fourth game in three days.
Whittier now improves to 5-3, 3-0 SCIAC, while George Fox drops to 5-3.
George Fox who came into the contest scoring seven or more runs and pounding out 10 or more hits in each of their first seven games, saw both streaks snapped at the mercy of freshman pitcher Nick Garcia.
After the Bruins jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, the Poets came to bat in the bottom of the 3rd looking to tie the score. Senior Alex Mitchell led off the inning with a bunt single, and after junior Corey Jensen reached on a George Fox error, freshman Brady Thompson laid down a sacrifice bunt that put two men in scoring position. Sophomore standout Stephen Zavala continued his hot start to the 2013 season with an RBI single in the next Whittier at bat.
With the score tied at one, Garcia took control of the game. Garcia and the Poets would retire the next 12 Bruins, allowing only two hits over four innings while eliminating those two runners with stellar defensive plays by Jensen, Mitchell and Zavala.
Whittier wouldn't settle for the lone run scored in the 3rd though as a leadoff walk by freshman Jonathan Whipple in the bottom of the 4th began the inning on a good note. Sophomore Cody Martinez came up next, lining a single to right that got past the George Fox right fielder and rolled all the way to the wall. Whipple would end up scoring and Martinez wound up on third. After two Poet strikeouts Mitchell came to bat again, reaching first on an error by the Bruin shortstop that allowed Martinez to come across for Whittier's third run. The Poets didn't stop there, as a single off the bat of Jensen would bring Mitchell in to make the score 4-1.
With Garcia dominating on the mound, Whittier continued its success at the plate in the bottom of the 5th Another error by George Fox put Zavala on base to start the frame, and junior Julian Barzilli collected a hit up the middle to put two Poets on base with no one out. The defensive problems continued for the Bruins in the next at bat, as Zavala scored on a mistake by the shortstop. Two batters later freshman Max Bradshaw worked a two-out walk to load the bases, and Mitchell would also get a free pass in the next at bat to bring home Barzilli from third.
George Fox wouldn't go home quietly, however, as the Bruins would scratch across a run in the 7th and another in the 8th to cut the Whittier lead to three. Coach Rizzo replaced Garcia with senior Bobby Santoyo following that score, and Santoyo shut down the Bruins by getting the final five outs to secure the Poets' fourth win of the weekend.
Garcia carried the load for Whittier, going 7.1 innings while scattering eight hits, striking out six and not allowing a single free pass. Mitchell provided the spark for the Poets' offense, reaching base in three of his four at bats while scoring two runs and swiping his fifth bag of the young season. Whipple reached base in all four of his plate appearances, going 1-2 with two walks.
The Whittier College baseball team (5-3, 3-0 SCIAC) takes the field again on Wednesday February 20, when they welcome the University of British Columbia (2-3) for an exhibition game at Memorial Field at 2:00pm. Catch the action LIVE on the Whittier College Sports Network.
