Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College Baseball team got the monkey off their back Friday afternoon as they broke their seven game losing skid in a lopsided 15-5 decision over Lewis & Clark at Memorial Field.

Friday was the largest offensive outpouring for the Purple & Gold all season with 15 runs on 18 hits.

Ten of the runs came in the first three innings.  Brandon Mulrooney (Placentia, Calif.) and Tanner Marcoe (Northridge, Calif.) led off the first inning with back to back singles and Jake Raynaud (Los Gatos, Calif.) added another two batters later that brought in a pair of runs.

Lewis & Clark got one back with a ground rule double in the top half of the second from Akira Abderrahman that plated Sean Shepherd but the Purple & Gold would respond with a big bottom half of the second bringing across five runs on three hits, while capitalizing on an error.  Max Morohashi (Encino, Calif.) walked with the bases loaded, Raynaud doubled to left center that cleared the bases and then came in after an error by the shortstop, which allowed Max Bradshaw (Salt Lake City, UT) to reach safely.

Another three runs came across in the bottom half of the third for the Poets.  Dmitri Washington (Peoria, AZ) led things off with a single up the middle and then advanced on a wild pitch.  Marcoe doubled down the left field line that brought in Washington and Morohashi reached on an error by the third baseman that plated Marcoe.  Bradshaw capped off the rally with a single to right that brought in the third Poet run. 

The Pioneers got three back the very next inning compiling four hits with a Ben Beck single through the left side, an Abderrahman single through the left side and a Cooper Larson double to left center but that offense would stall for the Pios as Whittier's middle relief would hold L&C to just one more run over the next five innings.

Leading 10-5, Whittier would continue swinging their hot bats putting up another four runs in the fifth.  Morohashi and Raynaud led off the inning both getting hit by a pitch.  Bradshaw then brought in one with a double to right and Dylan DeBrouwer (Manteca, Calif.) would single to right that brought in another.  Following DeBrouwer moving up to second on a wild pitch, Hank Burditt (Granada Hills, Calif.) would connect with a double through the right side that brought in another two runs. 

In the sixth, Whittier added insurance with Andrew Fierro (Riverside, Calif.) doubling to right field bringing across Raynaud who reached earlier on a single up the middle.   This would be the final Poet run of the afternoon as they rolled to the ten run victory.

Matthew Macey (Oceanside, Calif.) picked up his first victory of the season going 6.0 innings strong giving up four earned runs on eight hits.  Zachary Peyton (Fullerton, Calif.) and Jonathan Alba (Chino, Calif.) threw the final 3.0 innings giving up a combined three hits and no runs.

Marcoe finished the game 3-4 with three runs scored and a run batted in.  Raynaud was 4-5 with three runs scored and four runs batted in.  DeBrouwer was 3-6 with a run scored and an RBI and Washington wound up with a 2-3 effort with two runs scored.                                

Whittier has a short turnaround as they host Bates tomorrow, Saturday, February 27 beginning at 10:00am.