Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
ORANGE, Calif. – The Whittier College baseball team continues to play spoiler in SCIAC play as they earned their fourth straight win Saturday morning cruising past Chapman University 10-0 after 7.0 innings of work, while earning their second straight win since the addition of the four extra games.
Despite not being able to make the SCIAC Post Season Tournament, the Purple & Gold continue to fight wreaking havoc for those teams in front of them whom are attempting to earn a berth themselves.
After edging Redlands at home this past week 2-1, the Poets hit the road for two games and started it with a victory over the Panthers getting after CU starter Hanks who grabbed a win over Whittier in his previous start back on April 19.
Junior Curtis Martin did the complete opposite of Hanks pitching a complete game shutout picking up his second straight win of the season. He finished surrendering just eight hits, while striking out one and got offensive help behind him as the Poets put up 10 runs on 15 hits led by Jonathan Whipple, Julian Barzilli, and Josh Genzuk who each recorded three hits apiece.
Whittier struck first in the top half of the 1st with a pair thanks to two singles from Barzilli and Genzuk. Two innings later they struck again bringing across three runs on four hits. Whipple led off the inning with a single and after an error by the shortstop and a sac bunt by Stephen Zavala the Poets had runners in scoring position. On the ensuing pitch, Whipple scored on a wild pitch and soon after Barzilli tripled down the left field line plating Alex Mitchell and later scored himself after Genzuk sent a ball through the left side.
But the Poets didn't stop there as they brought around another three runs in the top half of the 5th that opened the game up. Barzilli led off with a single to right and was then followed by a Cody Martinez double to left center and a Genzuk single to left. Ben Cerami then reached on a throwing error by the pitcher and soon after a pitching change and two strikeouts Whipple singled to second that plated Genzuk.
As Martin continued to deal, the Poets remained hot adding another two runs late in the 7th, which put the score at 10-0 and despite a single by Chapman in the bottom half of the inning, Martin was able to get the final two batters to ground out and fly out to clinch the shutout.
The Poets remain on the road as they travel to Pomona-Pitzer tomorrow, Sunday, April 28 with game time set for 3:00pm.
