Box Score Photo by: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com
WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College Baseball team remains hot within non-conference play as they rolled to the 9-2 victory over Bates College Tuesday afternoon at Hugh B. Mendez Stadium.
The Purple & Gold move to 5-3, 1-2 SCIAC and are currently 4-1 in non-conference bouts.
Whittier started junior southpaw Justin Kottinger (Stockton, Calif.) for the second time on the season and he pitched a gem going 6.0 innings strong giving up two runs on five hits en route to his first victory on the season.
Dante Mancia (La Mirada, Calif.) threw the final 3.0 innings and totaled four strikeouts.
The Poets struck quickly adding two runs in the bottom half of the first. Andrew Lamar (Alta Loma, Calif.) got the rally started beating out a fielder's choice and then moved into scoring position after a Matthew Macey (Oceanside, Calif.) single to left. Michael Angulo (Sunnyvale, Calif.) kept the inning going with a single through the left side that loaded the bases and that was immediately followed by a Mike Hernandez (Stockton, Calif.) walk and a Jarryd Samsing (Buckeye, AZ) sacrifice fly.
The Bobcats got one back in the 3rd with Sylvia grounding out to second that drove in MacDonald. But WC would counter putting up two in the 4th and 5th that moved the score to 6-1. Dmitri Washington (Peoria, AZ) singled through the right side that scored Samsing and then on the ensuing at bat he stole second, which induced a throw down by the catcher. The ball got away and that allowed Mason Blansett (Lodi, Calif.) to score from third. Angulo brought in the Poets next run with a double to center field, which plated Macey and then Blansett stepped in and singled up the middle, which scored another.
In the 6th, Bates got another back as Trulli would homer, cutting the margin to four, but that's where their offense would stall as Whittier would add insurance over the final three innings, with Macey singling through the right side that brought in Washington followed by a sacrifice fly from Hernandez and a single by Samsing.
Macey finished the day 3-4 scoring three times and driving in another. Angulo was 3-4 with a run scored and an RBI, Samsing was 2-4 with a run scored and two runs batted in and Blansett was 2-4 scoring once and driving in a pair.
Whittier continues their non-conference schedule this Thursday, February 22 as they host Castleton State beginning at 2:30pm.
