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Box Score 2 |
Box Score 3 Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College baseball team took a big series against Chapman University over the weekend taking two of three to remain in the hunt for a Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Post Season berth.
After three days of baseball and a rain out, Whittier was able to come away with another two wins improving to 9-20, 6-12 SCIAC.
Game 1 (W, 12-10)
The first game of the series took two days to complete. The first inning of game one took an hour with a combined 14 runs being scored. The Poets held CU scoreless in the top half of the second and would get runners on first and second in the bottom half of the inning before the game was called.
Chapman put up a five spot early getting after Poet starter Tim Turpen (Chino Hills, Calif.) but the Purple & Gold would come back in a big way putting up nine of their own in the bottom half of the frame, the most in a single inning this season.
Despite rainy conditions, the Poets managed to string together five hits. Brandon Mulrooney (Placentia, Calif.) started off the inning getting hit by a pitch before moving up to second on a wild pitch. Dylan Debrouwer (Manteca, Calif.) and Matthew Macey (Oceanside, Calif.) then walked to load the bases. Jake Raynaud (Los Gatos, Calif.) then came through with the first Poet hit driving in the first run and Tanner Marcoe (Northridge, Calif.) brought in the second run drawing a base on balls.
The rallied continued with Max Bradshaw (Salt Lake City, UT) singling and then advancing on a wild pitch. Andrew Fierro grounded out that brought in another and Mulrooney stepped up again reaching base with a single to right. Macey ended the scoring campaign with a bases clearing double to left center that opened the game up.
That five run cushion proved crucial as Whittier would be outscored 5-3 over the next seven innings.
When the game resumed on Sunday, Whittier would stretch their lead to 12-5 with a three spot int he bottom half of the second all coming on two outs thanks to a triple by Mulrooney that scored Mason Blansett (Lodi, Calif.), Andrew Lamar (Alta Loma, Calif.), and Bradshaw.
But these would be the final runs scored as Chapman would go on to add five themselves in the third and sixth innings to pull within two. They threatened in the ninth getting the bases loaded but a big pitch from Nick Garcia (Anaheim, Calif.) would end the threat as he would get Dillon to pop out into foul territory for the third baseman.
Garcia earned the win throwing 7.0 innings giving up four earned runs on 11 hits improving to 3-4. Bradshaw finished 4-4 with two runs scored and a run batted in. Mulrooney was 2-4 with two runs scored and four RBI's and Macey and Lamar each recorded two hits apiece.
Game 2 (L, 4-3)
Chapman jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first game of the doubleheader. This lead would hold until the sixth when the Purple & Gold would put up three runs off the bat of Raynaud who hammered a three-run shot that put WC in front 3-1.
But in the 7th, 8th, and 9th Chapman would chip away adding a run each inning that propelled them to the come from behind victory. Macey was tagged with the loss going 4.2 innings giving up the final three runs on six hits dropping him to 1-5 on the season.
Debrouwer finished the game 2-4 with a run scored and Raynaud was 1-3 with a run scored and three RBI's.
Game 3 (W, 5-4)
The Poets needed 12 innings to come away with their second victory of the series. After two scoreless frames, Whittier would get a run in the third and two in the fourth. Dmitri Washington (Peoria, AZ) drove in the first with a single down the right field line. Lamar grounded into a double play that drove in a run the very next inning, which was followed by a dropped third strike and passed ball by CU, which allowed DeBrouwer to come in and score.
Chapman got two back in the fifth and sixth with sacrifice flies that pulled them within one. Dillon tied the game up at 3-3 with a single down the right field line in the eighth and the game would remain tied until the 11th when the Poets would go on top after a Bradshaw single up the middle that scored Raynaud. But that lead would be short-lived as Blodgett would hit a solo shot that again tied things up.
But Whittier would bounce back the very next inning as Washington would double to right center scoring the eventual game winner plating Mulrooney.
Turpen earned the victory going 3.0 innings giving up a run on three hits. Bradshaw was 2-4 with an RBI. Raynaud was 2-5 with a run scored and Washington was 2-6 with two runs batted in.
Whittier prepares for a three game series with Caltech this weekend. Friday, April 15 they travel to Pasadena, Calif. to take on the Beavers beginning at 3:00pm before returning home for a doubleheader and Senior Day on Saturday, April 16 with game times set for 11:00am and 2:00pm.
