WHITTIER, Calif. (March 26, 2023) - Whittier hosted Redlands in its first two SCIAC home games of the season, falling in ten innings in Game One and dropping the second game, 6-3. Junior Lindsey Perry had six hits on the day, including going 4-for-4 in Game Two. The second baseman went 8-for-13 in the three-game Redlands series!

Both Poets starting pitchers went the distance on Saturday, with senior Katelyn Calvetti throwing 129 pitches in 10 innings, and senior Jamie Garvey also eclipsing 100 pitches in a full seven frames.

GAME ONE:

Redlands scored the first three runs of the game on extra-base hits, taking a 3-0 lead in the fourth.

Whittier then got on the board with two scores in the bottom of the fifth. The first scored on a fielder's choice hit by senior Kelly Monroy, and the next came in on a sacrific fly by junior Emily Adkison.

Trailing 3-2, senior Melissa Carassco led off the bottom of the seventh with a single but then was tagged out after she rounded the base too far.

Junior Marissa Flynn then struck a double over the right fielder's head to give the Poets the tying run in scoring position with one out.

Junior Heaven Wolf hit a hard groundball to shortstop, which advanced Flynn to third base.

It was now up to freshman Lucy Brooks to extend the game, and that she did with a hard line drive to right-center field that barely evaded the diving center fielder. Flynn scored, tying the contest at three runs apiece!

After the eighth and ninth innings went by without much excitement, the International Tie Breaker rule went into effect, placing a runner on second base to begin each half inning.

Redlands scored twice in the top of the 10th inning on two hits to begin the frame.

After Wolf grounded out, advancing the placed runner, Carrasco, to third base, Brooks came through again. This time, the San Jose native doubled down the left field line to put her team within one with two outs left.

Unfortunately, the next two hitters could not knock Brooks in, and the Bulldogs won, 3-2. 

Sophomore Sara Luna stole a base in the game, and Perry and Brooks (2-for-5) each recorded multiple hits.

GAME TWO:

The "nightcap" began with Garvey issuing a walk and a single. The hard-throwing righty then induced a double play, however, which scored a run but ended up allowing the Poes to escape the inning without more damage done.

In Whittier's half of the first, it promptly tied the game after three hits to begin the inning -- a Perry double, Monroy single and Adkison double.

Despite having runners on second and third with no outs, the Poets could not score any more runs in the inning.

Garvey pitched a 1-2-3 second but then got bitten in the third with three hits, allowing the second Redlands run to cross.

The visitors scored once in the fifth, twice more in the sixth on a two-run home run, and once in the seventh to assume a 6-1 advantage.

The Poets put on their rally caps and mounted a comeback.

Adkison started the bottom of the seventh with her second double of the game.

Carrasco then singled "Addy" home, cutting the Poets' deficit to four.

Freshman Olivia Butler, pinch-hitting for Flynn, then walked.

After freshman pinch hitter Samantha Ramirez reached on a fielder's choice that kept runners at first and second, another pinch hitter came up, sophomore Maya Palos.

Palos singled through the left side, scoring pinch runner senior Jocelyn Signoretti, and advancing to second on the throw.

The Poets now trailed 6-3 with two outs, but the next hitter grounded out to end the game and the series.

On Monday, the Poets host the Williams College Ephs of Massachusetts for a 1 p.m. doubleheader. The Ephs are 2-6 this season, having played all their games on the road against SCIAC competition. Their lone wins came against Redlands (3-1) and Pomona-Pitzer (3-0 in ten innings).

See you at Palmer Field Monday!

Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

Follow and show support for your Whittier Poets on Twitter (@WCPoets), YouTube and Instagram (@PoetAthletics)!