Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College baseball team dropped into a tie for first place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) standings with Chapman and Cal Lutheran Friday as they fell 9-3 at Memorial Field.
Friday marked the beginning of the last three game series of the regular season for the Purple & Gold. Whittier came into the series a game ahead of Chapman and Cal Lutheran with a SCIAC Championship Title on the line.
After a four-pitch inning from Nick Garcia to start the game off, Whittier jumped out in front 2-0 in the bottom half of the inning. Corey Jensen led off the frame with a single to center and moved to third following a double from Julian Barzilli that hit off the top of the center field fence. Stephen Zavala then singled to left on a 1-2 count that scored one before Cody Martinez reached on a fielder's choice up the middle on a hard hit ball that plated the second run.
After four scoreless innings, Garcia ran into trouble in the 6th when Chapman plated four runs coming on a two run shot from Mark Saatzer and a double from Dillon. Whittier would scrap to pull within one in the next inning putting together a two out rally. Armando Valdez would double down the left field line and would later be brought in by Jensen who singled up the middle.
But that would be the last run brought around by the Poets as Chapman would add another two in the eighth and three in the ninth en route to the 9-3 victory.
Whittier had an opportunity in the eighth getting bases loaded and no outs against Panther starter Osaki trailing by three but back to back strikeouts and an induced groundball from relief pitcher Riddle would end the Poet threat keeping the victory in line for the Chapman starter.
Jensen finished the afternoon 3-5 with a run scored and a run batted in, while Ben Cerami was 2-3.
Garcia was tagged with the loss going 6.0 Innings giving up three runs on six hits. Osaki earned the win going 7.0 Innings giving up three runs on seven hits to go with four strikeouts, while Riddle picked up his second save of the season.
Whittier wraps up the series with their biggest doubleheader of the season tomorrow, Saturday, April 19 against Chapman on the road with game times set for 11:00am and 2:00pm.
Cal Lutheran takes on La Verne on the road in a big doubleheader as every game counts with playoff and a regular season SCIAC Championship on the line.
