Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College baseball team found their bats Tuesday afternoon as they combined for nine runs on 11 hits in a 9-3 victory over Drew University.
With the win the Poets snap an eight game losing skid and earn their first non-conference victory.
The Purple & Gold added four runs in the first two innings. Senior first baseman Cody Martinez (Whittier, Calif.) brought in the first and continues to swing a hot bat as he laced a double down the left field line that brought in Graham Pimm (Clayton, Calif.) in the bottom half of the first.
The very next inning Chris Sekiguchi (Aiea, HI) led things off with a walk and moved over to third following a single by Andrew Lamar (Alta Loma, Calif.). Jonathan Whipple (Sandy, UT) then stepped up and ripped a double to right center that brought in both runners and due to two errors on the play was able to come around to score for an inside the park homerun.
The Rangers got one back in the third with Richie Poland coming in following a triple to left center that led things off. The Poets struck for another in the fourth. Dylan DeBrouwer (Manteca, Calif.) reached on a walk and moved into scoring position following a stolen base. He moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Lamar and Whipple brought him in with a single to right.
With two outs in the fifth, Drew brought in two more and pulled within two 5-3 following a two run shot to left from Alfred Krause but that's as close as they would get as Whittier would go on to add another four over the final four innings that secured the six run victory.
DeBrouwer led off the sixth with a double to right center, Whipple was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a stolen base and Pimm singled up the middle that brought in one.
In the seventh, Max Bradshaw (Salt Lake City, UT) came up big with a pinch hit double to right center that scored Ryan Nakamura (Honolulu, HI) and Bradshaw came around to score following an error by the third baseman.
The final run for the Poets came in the eighth from Martinez who singled to right that brought in Pimm who walked in an earlier at bat.
Ben Moody (Santa Cruz, Calif.) got his first collegiate win going 3.0 innings giving up one run on four hits. Joey Kanter (Fullerton, Calif.) came in relief and despite the homerun, pitched 2.2 strong innings, striking out two. Tyler Johnson (Whittier, Calif.) came in relief and shut down two batters in 1.1 innings and Justin Ushio and Matthew Macey (Oceanside, Calif.) shut the door over the final 1.3 innings giving up a combined three hits.
Whipple finished 2-3 with a run scored and three runs batted in. Martinez was 3-5 with two RBI's and Pimm was 1-3 with two runs scored and a run batted in.
Whittier remains in non-conference action as they host Kean University this Friday, March 13 (3:00pm) and Saturday, March 14 (1:00pm).
