ORANGE, Calif. (March 17, 2023)- Whittier traveled to Hart Park today to take on the Chapman Panthers in a conference matchup. The Poets got off to a good strat in this game, but the Chapman bats came alive late to carry the Panthers to a 12-2 victory. 

Marcos Armenta Jr. toed the mound, as the Poets were looking to carry the momentum over from the last game. Unfortunately, Armenta, the second year man, had to come out of the game at the beginning of the second inning with an injury after a strong first. 

Armenta was also pitching with the lead at this point, with Whittier scoring a run in the top of the second. After a leadoff single from Maximus Berber, freshman catcher, Jackson Brummett came up and crushed a double down the left field line to bring home a run. 

Whittier added to their lead in the fourth, thanks to the help of a Chapman error. Lew Rice and Cam Gray were able to each knock singles to put runners on the bases for the Poets. Then as the runners put pressure on the pitcher, they tried a pickoff move and failed. This allowed Rice to come home and put the Poets up 2-0 on the errant throw.

Chapman then was able to wake their bats up in the bottom of the fourth. The Panthers went on to score 3 runs in the inning to start their rally. Chapman did not stop there and continued to score for the remainder of the game. They would score 4 in the fifth, 3 in the sixth, and a final run in the seventh. This final run would end the game in the seventh inning, after they went up by 10 runs. The Panthers took this game by a score of 12-2.

Whittier bats stayed hot with 9 hits, but could not find the timely ones to get the runs across the plate. Rice and Brummett would lead the batter each with 2 hits. Brummett also had the teams only RBI on the day. Dane Goodman contributed the other extra base hit for the Poets, smacking a double in the first inning. 

The Poets will still have a chance to win the series, as they will host the Panthers in a double-header tomorrow. This game will be at home for Whittier, with the first game beginning at 11:00. 

Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

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