Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
SEGUIN, TX – The Whittier College baseball team opened up their 2015 schedule in Seguin, Texas Friday during the Texas Lutheran Tournament but came away with losses to No. 23 Concordia (TX) 8-3 and Texas Lutheran 12-1.
Game 1 (No. 23 Concordia (TX) – L, 8-3)
Whittier opened the game with runs in the first and second innings. They got things started with back to back to back singles from Jonathan Whipple (Sandy, UT), Graham Pimm (Clayton, Calif.), and Stephen Zavala (Whittier, Calif.) that loaded the bases. Two batters later, Ben Cerami (Berkeley, Calif.) would plate the first Poet run with a sacrifice fly to right.
In the second inning they would add their second run. Freshman Matthew Macey (Oceanside, Calif.) would lead things off with a double to left center. He would then be moved over by Chris Sekiguchi (Aiea, HI) and would eventually come in to score thanks to an Andrew Lamar (Alta Loma, Calif.) single to the shortstop.
The Tornadoes rallied however to tally 10 hits over the next seven innings, which included five doubles. They put up a four spot in the top half of the third thanks to a Connor Bertsch double to left that brought around two and a Michael Evan single to third. Whittier would get one back in the bottom half of the fifth when senior Cody Martinez (Whittier, Calif.) was hit by a pitch that brought in Lamar. But this would be the final run mustered by the Purple & Gold as Concordia would add another four runs in the seventh that secured the five run victory.
Zavala led the offensive unit going 3-4. Pimm was 2-4, and Lamar was 1-2 with a run scored and an RBI.
Southpaw, Nick Garcia (Anaheim, Calif.) was saddled with the loss after being touched up for four runs on seven hits.
Amazing catch made in the dugout by Max Bradshaw:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/ook8y4nednmmfak/Whittier-catch.mp4?dl=0
Game 2 (Texas Lutheran – L, 12-1)
Whittier's bats were held in check in the second game of the doubleheader. Under the lights at Katt-Isbel Field the Poets were held to just one run on five hits. That run came in the top half of the first. Whipple singled through the left side and then moved into scoring position with a stolen base. Zavala then reached on an error by the first baseman which allowed Whipple to come around and score.
The first five TLU batters all reached base in the second inning, setting up a five-run frame. Alejandro Gutierrez keyed the big inning with a two-run single. Five of the first nine runs TLU scored were unearned, as the Bulldogs took advantage of some Whittier miscues.
Trailing 10-1, the Poets looked like they would get some more runs across in the top half of the sixth when they got the bases loaded with one out. Cody Reilly (Lakeside, Calif.) got the inning started with a walk, Dylan DeBrouwer (Manteca, Calif.) then followed with a walk himself and Mike San Angelo (Downey, Calif.) moved everyone up with a single to right field. But these runners would get stranded as Ryan Nakamura (Honolulu, HI) and Whipple would be retired that ended the threat.
This would be the closest the Poets would get to getting runs across as Texas Lutheran would add another three runs in the fourth and fifth innings en route to their first victory of the season.
Charlie Mayfield (Placentia, Calif.) came into the game midway through at first base and made an immediate impact going 2-2. San Angelo finished 2-2 coming in for Sekiguchi and Whipple was 1-3 with a run scored at the leadoff spot.
Matt Webster (Yorba Linda, Calif.) suffered the loss going just 2.0 innings giving up nine runs (four earned) on seven hits. Armando Valdez (Whittier, Calif.) came in relief in his pitching debut and went 3.0 innings giving up three runs on six hits, while Tyler Johnson (Whittier, Calif.) went the final 3.0 innings giving up just two hits.
