Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College Baseball team saw their losing skid move to four games Tuesday as they nearly completed a comeback in a 6-5 loss to Bates College.
Bates who was seeking their first win on the season added three runs in the first two innings, which included a couple key hits with two outs, capped off with a solo shot down the left field line by Ryan McCarthy.
In the fourth, the Bobcats struck for another two this time off Royce Komesu (Kailua, HI) that extended the lead to 5-0 but in the 4th the Poets rallied and got after Bobcat starter Connor Russell with four runs on three hits that cut the deficit to one.
Jake Raynaud (Los Gatos, Calif.) started the inning off with a walk and then scored after a Matthew Macey (Oceanside, Calif.) double to center. Tanner Marcoe (Northridge, Calif.) then came up with a nice bunt single that put runners on the corners and Mike Angulo (Sunnyvale, Calif.) kept the rally going with a single through the right side. Will Reader (San Francisco, Calif.) then stepped in and reached base due to an error by the third baseman, which plated Marcoe and Dmitri Washington (Peoria, AZ) ended the scoring with a safety squeeze.
With two outs, Bates managed to scrap another across in the 6th, which proved to be the eventual game winner. In the 9th, Whittier had their last bats and provided a scare with Marcoe reaching safely on a single through the left side before stealing both second and third. He then was bought in with a groundout to short by Angulo but the comeback would end after that as Reader and Hank Burditt (Granada Hills, Calif.) would both fly out.
James Beaudin (Seattle, WA) picked up the loss going just two innings giving up three runs on six hits.
Marcoe finished 3-4 with two runs scored. Angulo was 1-4 with a run scored and two runs batted in and Macey was 1-4 with a run scored and RBI.
Whittier returns to Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) play this weekend as they open a three game series with Redlands. Friday, February 24 is on the road at 2:30pm and the doubleheader the next day on the 25th will be at 11:00am and 2:30pm.
