PASADENA, CA. (APR. 20, 2024)- After defeating the CalTech Beavers yesterday at home, the Poets hit the road Saturday for 2 more games against them at their ballpark. The first game of the day was not a pretty one, however the Poets managed to manufacture a couple runs and earn the 2-1 victory. In the second game the Whittier bats came alive and they were able to secure a commanding 15-5 victory.
Game 1:
In the first game of the day, pitcher Aaron Cazares (Eastvale, Calif., Norco HS) tossed a gem. He threw 7 shut out innings for the Purple and Gold, only giving up 5 hits and striking out 10. He kept the Beaver bats guessing and was the big reason the Poets were able to earn this victory.
Whittier was able to take the lead early in this game, with 2-outs in the second innings they scored their first run. Joe Plaskett (Fremont, Calif., Washington HS) picked up right where he left off the day before and hit a ground-rule double to center field and was brought into score on a Luis Guillermo Chavarin Jr. (Fullerton, Calif., Sonora HS, Cerritos College) double to center field. Whittier had a 1-0 lead in the second.
Neither team was then able to get anything going on the offensive side, with no one scoring again until the eighth inning. In the bottom of the eighth the Beavers were able to score a run and tie this game up at 1.
The Poets answered in the top of the ninth though, Lew Rice (Walkerton, Va., IMG Academy) and Maximus Berber (Riverside, Calif., Ramona HS) led the inning off with back-to-back singles and then Plaskett was intentionally walked to load the bases. Cole Friend (Carlsbad, Calif., Carlsbad HS) then pinch-hit for Whitttier and hit a SAC fly to left field that would bring Rice, the potential winning run, home.
Teige Barrett (San Diego, Calif., Mira Mesa HS), on the mound for Whittier now, finished off the Beavers lineup in the bottom of the ninth as the Poets earned their first victory of the day.
Game 2:
The second game was a much better one for Whittier, as their 18 hits carried them to a 15-5 victory. The Poets once again wanted to get the scoring started early in this one and put up 3 in the first inning. Nathan Sherman (Ventura, Calif., Buena HS) led the game off with a walk and was able to make his way around to third base from passed balls. Rice then came up and got the team on the board, singling to left field and bringing Sherman home. Ian Watanabe (Lodi, Calif., Lodi HS) and Plaskett then walked to load the bases. Chavarin came up big again with a 2-out single, putting the Poets up 3-0.
The Beavers answered back though, scoring 4 runs in the bottom of the second and taking a 4-3 lead.
In the third inning Whittier answered back and went on another rally. Rice started the inning with a double and scored on a Watanabe single. Plaskett followed that up with a single of his own, while Chavarin loaded the bases with his walk. James Stirton (Cerritos, Calif., Valley Christian HS) then had a good team at-bat where he hit a SAC fly and brought a run in to score. Delvan Gomez (Artesia, Calif., Gahr HS, Cerritos College), who has been red hot at the plate lately, then came up and hit a single that brought 2 more runs into score. Whittier had a 7-4 lead in the top of the third.
The Poets wanted to keep the the offense rolling and in the top of the fourth inning, Barrett hit a monster home run to left field to get things started. Rice and Berber then each had singles to put some runners on base for Plaskett. Plaskett stayed consistent and singled up the middle to bring Rice into score. Chavarin got one more run across the board in this inning for Whittier with a SAC fly, as they had a 10-4 lead in this game now.
Barrett and Gomez, who have been smoking the ball lately, came up in the fifth inning and extended the Poets lead. Both the seniors got their pitches and drow them over the fence for solo home runs, as they put Whittier up 12-4.
In the eighth and ninth, the Poets managed to score a total of 3 more runs, including an Alexander Jasso (South Gate, Calif., Maywood Center for Enriched Studies) pinch-hit RBI single, to extend their advantage even more. After a rough start the Poet pitching settled in and put the CalTech offense to sleep. Marcos Armenta Jr. (Bellflower, Calif., Gahr HS) and Zach Kennedy (Sacramento, Calif., Capital HS) combined for 6.1 innings of 5 hit, 1 run pitching for Whittier as the combo also struck out 10 over that course.
The Poets would win this game 15-5, with Armenta earning his second victory of the season. Rice was excellent this game coming away with 5 hits, 2 doubles, 3 runs scored, and an RBI. Barrett did his thing with 2 solo home runs, while Plaskett continued to swing it finishing with 3 hits, a triple, 2 runs scored, 2 RBIs, and 2 walks. Chavarin and Gomez contributed a multi-hit effort in this game, as the Whittier bats wanted to earn this sweep.
The Poets managed to sweep the Beavers, taking all three games against them. However, Whittier will look to continue their great weekend of play, as they have one more game Sunday against the Occidental Tigers. This is a non-conference game and is slated to begin at 1:00 in the afternoon. Make sure to follow along as the Poets look to earn their 4th victory of the weekend.
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