WHITTIER, Calif. (March 25, 2023)- Whittier took on the Pacific Lutheran Lutes again today in a doubleheader matchup. The Poets bats exploded the first game as they won 15-2, however; the Lutes battled back the second game and stole this one from Whittier 13-7. 

Game 1: 

Maximus Berber took the mound for the Poets game 1 and had an outstanding day. The second year 2-way player went a strong 8.2 innings, only giving up 1 earned run with 9 strikeouts, on his way to the victory. 

After a 1-2-3 first inning on defense, Nathan Sherman and Dane Goodman started the Poets off doing what they've done all year with back-to-back doubles. Later in the inning, Cam Gray hit another double off the wall scoring the Poets second run of the inning. 

The second inning showed a big 2-out rally for the Poets. James Stirton got the rally started by being hit by a pitch, Sherman then singled, followed by Goodman crushing a ball over the center field wall for 3 runs. Whittier now  had a 5-0 lead. 

Whittier struck once again in the fourth and fifth with one run in each inning. Goodman singled with 2-outs, putting him only a triple away from the cycle, then Teige Barrett came up and hit a double in the left-center gap that scored him. The next inning started off with a Gray homer and Whittier had extended their lead 7-0. 

2 more runs were scored by the Poets in the sixth, thanks to a Barrett double and Abe Bullard knocking a run in with a SAC fly. 

After giving up a run in the top of the seventh, the Poets answered back with 4 more in the bottom half of the inning. The rally started with a Delvan Gomez single, Sherman walk, and Goodman single. Barrett stepped up next and laced a single for his fourth hit of the game, bringing home 2. Lew Rice walked to the plate following Barrett and smacked a single of his own to bring home 2 more. 

The swings did not stop there, as the men tacked on 2 more runs in the bottom of the eighth. Sean Conboy came up with bases load and crushed a ball to right-center, allowing Whittier's final 2 runs to score. 

Berber came out to pitch the ninth and final inning. After about 125 pitches, the Poets made an error behind him, which allowed a second run to cross the plate. Tanner Salazar then took the ball from Berber and ended this game with a strikeout. 

Goodman had a phenomenal game 1, going 4-4 with a double, home run, 5 runs scored, a walk, and 4 RBIs. Barrett also did his thing at the plate with 4 hits, including 2 doubles, a run, and 4 RBIs. Sherman and Gray also swung hot bats each having multiple hits. 

Game 2:

The second game began and the Poets got off to the slower start. They allowed 2 quick runs in the top of the second, but were able to scratch one across in the bottom of the inning. Rice doubled to begin the inning and was able to come across the plate with a groundout from Gray. 

The Lutes continued to pile on the runs against the Poets, with 4 in the third, 3 in the fourth and 1 in the seventh. Down 10-1, Whittier made a small comeback in the bottom of the seventh. Berber and Matt Woods, started the inning off with singles, followed by James Stirton being hit by a pitch. Then the top of the lineup came back around and Sherman drove a run in with his second hit of the game. Goodman then stepped to the plate with bases loaded. The fifth-year man got his pitch and drove a grand slam, his second homer of the day, over the center-field wall. Whittier was now only trailing 10-6. 

After giving up 3 more runs in the top of the eighth, Whittier managed to get one more run across the plate in the bottom of the inning. Jack Guerrero singled his way one, then Delvan Gomez brought him home with a double. This would be where the Poets scoring would stop as they fell to the Lutes 13-7. 

Although they went 1-1 on the day, a lot of different Poets had great games. Goodman went 6-9 with a double, 2 homers, 6 runs scored, 8 RBIs, and a walk. Sherman and Barrett each provided 4 hits for Whittier. Salazar also pitched well for the Poets throwing in both games, going 1.1 innings with 2 strikeouts. 

Getting their first series win of the year, Whittier has already surpassed their win total from last year. They will look to continue to swing the bat well, as they return to conference play next week against CMS. The men will take on the Stags at home on Friday at 3:00. 

Photo: Tony Leon/ActionWestPhotography.com

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