Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College baseball team dropped a twin bill to Bates College Saturday at Memorial Field allowing the Bobcats to come away with the series.
With the sweep the Poets drop to 2-8 on the season, while Bates rounds out their West Coast trip 4-2.
Game 1 (L, 12-3)
It was all Bobcats in game one of the doubleheader who added three runs in the first two innings before the Poets got on the board in the third with a solo shot from Graham Pimm (Clayton, Calif.) down the left field line.
Bates added another three in the top half of the fifth that extended their lead 6-2 but the Purple & Gold would come back in the bottom half with two of their own thanks a Stephen Zavala (Whittier, Calif.) double down the left field line that plated Andrew Lamar (Alta Loma, Calif.) and Jonathan Whipple (Sandy, UT).
These would be the final two runs added by Whittier as they would be held scoreless over the final four innings, while Bates added another six runs en route to the nine run victory.
Freshman Royce Komesu (Kailua, HI) was charged with the loss, his third of the season as he went 3.0 innings giving up three runs on five hits, while striking out five.
Pimm was 1-2 for the game with a run scored and an RBI. Zavala was 1-4 with two runs batted in.
Game 2 (L, 7-5)
The Poets frantically put together a comeback in the ninth plating three runs and had runners on second and third trailing 7-5 but couldn't bring them home as Bates survived to take the sweep.
Nate Pajka demonstrated his power to both sides of the field, going 3-4 with a pair of home runs and two RBI's, while Evan Czopek was 3-5 with three RBI's and a run scored. The Bobcats staked starter Rob DiFranco to the early lead, and kept adding on to preserve the win.
Bates added a quick three runs against southpaw Thomas Hemington (Sacramento, Calif.) in the first and didn't look back. Pajka added to the lead the very next inning with one of his two homeruns before the Poet bats came alive bringing around two with a Max Bradshaw (Salt Lake City, UT) double down the right field line and a Whipple grounder to the second baseman, which brought in Charlie Mayfield (Placentia, Calif.).
The Poets wouldn't be able to get any more runs across against DiFranco over the next three innings who left the game in the fifth and would be shutout by Mark Cunningham who followed over the next three innings as well. But they managed to get after closer Robert Jones who started the ninth getting after him for three runs in two-thirds of an inning.
Mayfield was hit by a pitch and Lamar reached on an error by the shortstop that moved Mayfield up. Whipple then flied out, which put the Poets down to their final out before their rally ensued. Cody Reilly (Lakeside, Calif.) came up big with a clutch single to right center that brought in one. Zavala then walked, which loaded the bases, forcing Matt Doyle into the game for the Bobcats. The first batter he faced, Cody Martinez (Whittier, Calif.) would drive a single to left that brought in a pair, which forced another pitching change. Samuel Warren became the new pitcher for the Bobcats and after a wild pitch moved two runners into scoring position, he would get Ben Cerami (Berkeley, Calif.) to pop out that ended the rally allowing Bates to escape with the two run victory.
Hemington was charged with the loss as he moves to 1-1 on the season going 3.0 innings giving up three runs on three hits. Martinez finished 3-5 with two runs batted in and Bradshaw was 2-4 with an RBI.
Whittier returns to the diamond this Friday, February 27 when they open up a three game series with Pomona-Pitzer. Friday's game will be on the road at 2:30pm before they return home for a doubleheader on Saturday, February 28 with game times set for 11:00am and 2:30pm.
