WHITTIER, CA. (Feb. 17, 2024)- After a tough loss to the Lewis and Clark College Pioneers on Friday afternoon, the Whittier College Poets had their chance to get revenge with a double-header on Saturday. In game 1 the Poets were able to make a fierce comeback in the latter innings of the game and carried the comeback to a 10-9 victory. After securing their first victory of the season, the team turned their attention to game 2 with the hopes of capturing their first series win of the season. The teams battled in this deciding third game of the series and after going back and forth with one another, the game would have to end in a 5-5 tie due to darkness. 

Game 1: 

The Pioneers were able to come out and get an early lead in this game, scoring a run in the 1st and 2nd and holding a 2-0 lead over the Poets. Whittier however was ready to fight back, starting the bottom of the 2nd inning with a massive Ian Watanabe (Lodi, Calif., Lodi HS) home run. The scoring did not stop there though as Jay Schulze (Huntington Beach, Calif., Huntington Beach) followed the home run with a double and Alexander Jasso (South Gate, Calif., Maywood Center for Enriched Studies) then reached base by taking a pitch off his leg. After Schulze was brought around to 3rd base, he was able to use his speed and score on a wild pitch. James Stirton (Cerritos, Calif., Valley Christian) wanted to get the Poets rolling, coming up next and singling to left center field. The Poets then got some help with some sloppy defense by the Pios, as Stirton was able to come all the way around from first to score on a dropped fly ball to left field. At the end of the second, Whittier held a 3-2 lead. 

In the 3rd, Teige Barrett (San Diego, Calif., Mira Mesa) was looking to add to the Poets score, starting the inning off with a single through the left side. That brought the dangerous Watanabe to the plate, who was able to crush another ball down the right field line and lagged it out all the way to third with an RBI triple. At the end of the 3rd Whittier had a 4-2 lead over Lewis and Clark. 

As the 4th started, the Pioneer's were able to recapture the lead with their bats and with some help from the Poets defense. Lewis and Clark were able to score 3 runs this inning and took a 5-4 lead over Whittier. In the bottom half of the inning, the Poets top half of the lineup was able to come through with 1 more run thanks to a SAC fly from Barrett. Stirton, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning, came in to score on the Barrett SAC and tied the game up at 5. 

Lewis and Clark continued to swing a hot bat in the 5th, pouring in 4 more runs and taking a 9-5 lead over Whittier. The Poets bats could not get going to answer in the bottom of the 5th, but in the 6th Stirton tripled down the right field line then scored on the next batter on a wild pitch. 

Still trailing 9-6 it was now the 7th inning and Whittier's time was out. Once again the Poets started the inning off with a bang, when Maximus Berber (Riverside, Calif., Ramona) doubled to right center. Watanabe came up next and singled to right field and sent Berber to third. After 2 wild pitches in the at-bat Berber was able to come in to score and Watanabe was now at third, as Schulze drew a walk. With runners on second and third and 2-outs now Stirton came back up to the plate. Tripling in his last at-bat, the senior doubled to center field and brought home 2 to tie the game at 9. Lew Rice (Walkerton, Va., IMG Academy) came up next and lined a ball into right field, bringing Stirton home and giving the Poets the lead. 

Up 10-9 heading to the 8th, the Poets turned the ball over to senior pitcher, Matthew Helguera (Montebello, Calif., Schurr). Helguera came in and completely shut down the Pioneer bats, on his way to recording the save for Whittier's first victory of the season. 

Capturing this first win of the season was very important for the Poets as it set them up to win the series against Lewis and Clark in the third game. Whittier swung the bat extremely well in this first game of the day, finishing with 6 extra base hits and 13 total hits. Rice, Watanabe and Sherman each had 3 hits this game. Watanabe was a double away from the cycle, while scoring 2 runs and driving home 2. Stirton was on base all 4 times he came to the plate, finishing a homerun away from the cycle, scoring 4 runs, and driving in 2. 

Beyond the offense, the Whittier pitching was solid in this game. Despite giving up 9 total runs, only 4 of them were earned. Berber started on the rubber for the Poets and threw a strong 4 innings, giving up 3 earned runs on 3 strikeouts. Lukas Long (Stockton, Calif., Bear Creek) made his college debut on the mound and pitched 1 and a third innings collecting the win in this game. Long, Nate Burke (Glendale, Calif., Glendale), and Helguera were excellent out of the pen for Whittier in this game, combining for 4+ innings of work with only 2 hits, no runs surrendered, and 2 strikeouts. 

Game 2: 

Starting the second game of the day and third of the series, both the Poets and Pioneers were looking to win this series. Whittier got things started right where they left off the last game, with Rice leading things off with a single and stealing second. Nathan Sherman (Ventura, Calif., Buena) then singled to third base and Rice advanced to third. Both runners were brought in with a Berber single and the Poets had a 2-0 lead in the 1st. 

In the 3rd Lewis and Clark tied the game up on a 2-run home run, but the tie did not last for long. Rice led things off in the bottom half of the inning with a solo shot over the right field fence, and Barrett followed it up with his second jack of the year with a bomb over the left field wall. Whittier now had a 4-2 lead over Lewis and Clark. 

Whittier was able to score one more run in the bottom of the 5th inning on a Luis Guillermo Chavarin Jr. (Fullerton, Calif., Sonora HS, Cerritos College) SAC fly, but this is where the scoring would end for them. Lewis and Clark managed to get 1 more run in the 4th and 2 in the 7th, as both teams were now tied at 5. 

Both the Pioneers and the Poets battled back and forth in this game, and in the end neither team came out on top. After playing 11 innings the teams were still tied at 5, but the Sun had gone down. This game was called due to darkness in a 5-5 tie. 

Rice, Berber, and Sherman all had 2 hits to their daily totals this game, and the Poets once again recorded double-digit hits. Barrett though was the true star of the game as he not only launched a ball over the fence, but also pitched the final three innings for the Poets only surrendering 1 hit on 0 runs and 3 strikeouts. Braydon Williams (Los Angeles, Calif., Dorsey, Holy Names University) was also strong out of the pen for Whittier, pitching 1 and third innings holding the Pioneers to 0 hits and no runs. 

This was a great opening weekend for Head Coach Mike Rizzo and the Whittier College Poets. The Lewis and Clark Pioneers were the champions of their conference last year and the Poets showed they were not going to back down to anyone this season. They will look to continue their strong start, as they are slated to take on Hope University Tuesday night. The team will be traveling to Fullerton to take on the Royals at 6:00 for a game under the lights.