Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – Playing for the fourth time in six days the Whittier College baseball team was held to just one run in a 5-1 loss to Cal Lutheran University in a match-up that had no Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) playoff implications.
Ovcer the last 11 innings, Whittier has been outscored 17-1 against CLU and now drop to 20-12, 16-5 SCIAC but still sit No. 1 in the SCIAC standings with their last three games series against Chapman University set to occur this weekend.
Head Coach Mike Rizzo decided to throw all bullpen pitchers to give his starters rest before the Chapman series. Southpaw Thomas Hemington got the start and went 3.0 innings giving up just one hit leaving the game with a 1-0 lead.
Whittier had their first opportunity to go in front spoiled in the bottom of the first. Following a double from Corey Jensen to right center, Jonathan Whipple reached on a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners but two consecutive strikeouts and a groundball would stop the rally short.
The Poets would bring their lone run across in the second however. Chris Sekiguchi got the rally started with a single to right center and was eventually brought in from Graham Pimm who singled up the middle with two outs.
Cal Lutheran would rally in the fifth against John Parviainen bringing around two runs capitalizing on a bobble by the shortstop that could have ended the inning if the double play ball could be turned.
Whittier threatened in the bottom half of the inning when Jensen again led off with a double and moved to third following a sacrifice bunt. Trey Saito would then walk Division III's leading homerun hitter Julian Barzilli, giving Whittier runners at first and third but Saito would get the ensuing batter to ground into a crucial inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
The Kingsmen would add another in the sixth to go in front by two and would add insurance in the ninth as their bullpen would hold the Poets scoreless over 6.0 innings, while giving up just three hits.
Jensen finished the day 2-4 with two doubles leading the offense, with Ben Cerami and Sekiguchi going 2-4 as well.
Crowl for Cal Lutheran was 3-5 with runs batted in, while Cana was 2-3 with two runs scored.
Parviainen was charged with his first loss of the season going 1.2 innings giving up two runs on three hits. Hebda picked up the win in relief of Peters and is now 5-1 going an 1.0 inning giving up just three hits.
Whittier starts off the three game series with Chapman University this Friday, April 18 at Memorial Field beginning at 3:00pm before hitting the road for a doubleheader on Saturday, April 19 with game times set for 11:00am and 2:00pm.
