Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College baseball team upset No. 8 Cal Lutheran University Friday afternoon 9-5 as they snapped a six game losing skid.
Whittier handed Kingsmen ace Scott Peterson his first loss of the season forcing him out in the fifth, while Royce Komesu (Kailua, HI) picked up his first win of the season going 4.0 innings giving up one earned run on three hits.
Trailing 2-0 in the second, Whittier got one back in the bottom half of the inning. Cody Reilly (Lakeside, Calif.) who subbed in for Ben Cerami (Berkeley, Calif.) who fouled a ball off his foot singled through the left side. Matthew Macey (Oceanside, Calif.) then followed with a single and Reilly then scored soon after on an error by the shortstop off a ball hit by Dylan DeBrouwer (Manteca, Calif.).
Whittier took their first lead of the game in the third plating two runs that put them in front 3-2. Graham Pimm (Clayton, Calif.) and Stephen Zavala (Whittier, Calif.) both walked to lead things off. Cody Martinez (Whittier, Calif.) singled that brought in one and Macey then followed with a sacrifice fly that brought in the go ahead run.
CLU tied things up the very next inning with Kyle Sanchez being brought in with a balk but that's as close as they would get as Whittier would pour it on over the final five innings. In the bottom half of the fifth Reilly came through again, this time with a double that scored two and Macey brought him in with his second sacrifice fly that moved the score to 6-4.
Whittier struck for three more in the sixth this time off the bat of Pimm who singled to second and Zavala who hit a two run shot to left that put the Purple & Gold in front 9-5.
CLU would get another back in the eighth with a double from Sanchez but it wouldn't be enough as Macey would shut the door in the ninth that gave Whittier their fourth win on the season.
Pimm finished 2-2 with three runs scored and an RBI. Zavala was 1-3 with three runs scored and two RBI's and Reilly finished 2-4 with two runs scored and two RBI's. Andrew Lamar (Alta Loma, Calif.) also finished 2-3 with a run scored.
The Poets wrap up their three game series with Cal Lutheran today in Thousand Oaks, Calif. with game times set for 11:00am and 2:30pm.
