Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College baseball team used a big 8^th inning Friday afternoon to spoil the Sagehens victory at Memorial Field coming from behind to win 6-4 to extend their winning streak to seven games.

With the win, the Poets are now 7-5, 7-0 SCIAC and are one win shy from tying the longest winning streak dating back to the 2012 season when they won eight in a row from April 6 - April 21.

Pomona-Pitzer got out in front early with two in the top half of the first thanks to a single up the middle from E.J. Lopez that brought around Travis Bowers and Tanner Nishioka. 

Whittier would cut the deficit in half the next inning when Ben Cerami singled in Stephen Zavala but the Sagehens would extend their lead in the 3^rd and 5^th behind a solo shot from Bowers and a Simon Rosenbaum single.

But in the 7^th and 8^th the wheels came off Sagehen starter Jake Bruml who gave up five runs en route to his second loss on the season.  Cody Martinez hit a triple down the right field line that brought in Zavala and then in the eighth the Poets added another four runs.  Mike San Angelo got things started reaching on an error by the shortstop and then moved to third following a Jonathan Whipple double down the right field line.

Freshman Graham Pimm then reached drawing a full count walk before Corey Jensen singled through the right side pulling the Poets within one.  The next batter Julian Barzilli got a good piece on his next at bat lining out to the first baseman and due to an errant throw from Rosenbaum attempting to pickoff the runner at the third, the Poets were able to tie the game up at four.  With runners on second and third and one out Zavala had an opportunity to put the Poets in front and what an at bat he had sending a 1-2 fastball through the left side that plated the two go ahead runs for the Purple & Gold.

In the 9^th, sophomore Matt Webster shut down the Sagehen bats getting a strikeout, groundout, and flyout that earned him his first win on the season after throwing 2.0 innings of shutout baseball.

Whittier was led on offense by Zavala who finished 2-3 with two runs scored and two runs batted in.  While for Pomona-Pitzer Nishioka finished 3-5 with two runs scored. 

The Poets wrap up their three game series tomorrow, Saturday, March 8 with Pomona-Pitzer on the road with game times set for 11:00am and 2:30pm.