Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

WHITTIER, Calif. – Senior Max Bradshaw (Salt Lake City, UT) walked off with a solo shot in the bottom half of the ninth in game two of Saturday's doubleheader helping the Whittier College baseball team come away with the series over the University of La Verne.

After an offensive outpouring in game one of the series where the Poets fell 17-12, the Purple & Gold came out on Saturday sweeping the doubleheader winning 6-3 and 2-1 to improve to 7-16, 4-8 SCIAC.

This marks the second series taken by the Poets this season after going 2-1 against Pomona-Pitzer back on March 4-5.   

Game 1 (L, 14-12)

A combined 26 runs on 33 hits were used in game one in one of the highest scoring affairs of the season. 

Whittier got things started in the top half of the first bringing across a run off the bat of Jake Raynaud (Los Gatos, Calif.) who singled bringing across Tanner Marcoe (Northridge, Calif.) who reached on a fielder's choice.

ULV answered with their own big inning in the bottom half of the frame but would bring across four runs on three hits capitalizing on a throwing error by the shortstop. 

The Poets would respond in a big way though plating eight runs over the next four innings.  Andrew Fierro (Riverside, Calif.) and Dmitri Washington (Peoria, AZ) would combo for a double and a single in the second that brought in two.  Washington then came through in the third with a big single scoring Bradshaw and Raynaud that put WC on top 5-4. 

But again the one run lead wouldn't hold as La Verne would touch up Matthew Macey (Oceanside, Calif.) for seven runs on five hits as they would plate eight in the bottom half of the third opening the game up 13-5. 

Whittier got three back the very next inning to cut the deficit to five.  Raynaud reached on a fielding error by the second baseman and moved to second after Dylan DeBrouwer (Manteca, Calif.) was hit by a pitch.  Bradshaw then singled up the middle bringing across one right before Fierro would reach on a throwing error by the third baseman.  Max Morohashi (Encino, Calif.) kept the inning going reaching on another error by the third baseman that scored the third Poet run.

In the fifth, Whittier struck for another again off the bat of Raynaud who singled to right center scoring Brandon Mulrooney (Placentia, Calif.) who reached in the leadoff spot with a single to left.

Trailing 14-9, Whittier made it a game in the seventh bringing across another three runs to pull within two.  Marcoe led off the inning with a walk.  Hank Burditt (Granada Hills, Calif.) then doubled to left center moving Marcoe to third and Raynaud would bring across both of them following suit with his own double to left center.

Following a double play up the middle, which allowed Raynaud to move to third, Bradshaw would come up with another key single this time to left that scored the third run.

But this would be the last run scored for the Purple & Gold as La Verne would add another three the very inning before shutting down the Poet bats in the ninth.

Macey was tagged with the loss as he drops to 1-3 on the season going 1.0 inning giving up seven runs on five hits. 

Raynaud was 3-6 with three runs scored and four runs batted in.  Bradshaw was 4-5 with three runs scored and two RBI's and Burditt was 3-6 with a run scored. 

Washington played a key role at the plate as well finishing 2-3 with three RBI's.                      

Game 2 (W, 6-3)

La Verne jumped in front 2-0 after the first two innings.  They remained on top till the bottom half of the fifth when the Poets would add two themselves off the bat of Macey who hit a two run shot to right that tied things up. 

The game remained deadlocked until the eighth when the Purple & Gold added a four spot to go in front 6-2.  Bradshaw singled to left and moved to second after Mike San Angelo (Downey, Calif.) was hit by a pitch.  Andrew Lamar (Alta Loma, Calif.) then earned an infield single on a bunt and Morohashi followed with a single to right that cleared the bases.

Mulrooney rounded out the rally with a grounder to the third baseman that allowed Morohashi to score. 

Despite giving up a run in the ninth and seeing the bases loaded by the Leopards, Whittier was able to come away with the victory.

Nick Garcia (Anaheim, Calif.) had a strong outing earning the victory going 8.2 innings giving up three runs on six hits, with two earned to go with seven strikeouts.

Macey finished 2-5 at the plate with a run scored and two RBI's.  Mulrooney was 2-5 with a run batted in and Bradshaw was 2-4 with a run scored.  Morohashi had a huge pinch hit single to right as he went 1-1 with a run scored and two runs batted in.      

Game 3 (W, 2-1)

Game three was a pitcher's duel with a combined three runs being scored.  Tim Turpen (Chino Hills, Calif.) put together his best outing of his freshman campaign going 6.2 innings giving up a run on six hits, which included five shutout innings with a strikeout.

Whittier took the lead in the bottom half of the sixth.  Mulrooney was hit by a pitch that led off the inning.  Marcoe moved him over with a sacrifice bunt and he then advanced to third on a wild pitch.

Macey then stepped up and plated him with a sacrifice fly.

Nolan Henley would tie things up the very next inning with a single up the middle that scored Anthony Gonzalez.  The game was tied at 1-1 going into the ninth.  Royce Komesu remained on the mound in the ninth after a perfect eighth and shut down the Leopard bats not giving up a hit in two innings picking up the win. 

The game winner came in the bottom half of the ninth from the first batter, Bradshaw who took a first pitch breaking ball sending it out to deep right center for the walk off. 

Bradshaw finished 2-3 with a run scored and an RBI.  Raynaud was also 2-3, while Mulrooney was 1-2 with a run scored.            

Whittier begins a three game series with Cal Lutheran University next weekend traveling to Thousand Oaks, Calif. on Friday, April 1 with game time set for 3:00pm.  They then return home on Saturday, April 2 with another doubleheader against the Kingsmen with first pitches slated for 11:00am and 2:30pm.