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Feb 24, 2007

Baseball loses two of three to Claremont, Smith '08 bats .615 for the weekend


Robbie Smith '08 went 8-for-13 with two runs scored, a double and an RBI as Whittier College took one game in a three-game series over Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on February 23 and 24.  Game one took place at Claremont, and the Poets won by a score of 8-6.  The doubleheader the next day was in Whittier, Calif., and the Stags won both ends 9-7 and 5-3, respectively.

Ty Crawford '07 went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in game one of the series.  Smith went 2-for-5 and Blake Coddington '09 was 2-for-6 with a run scored.  Riley Bateman '08 went 1-for-2 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.  Matt Morgado '07, Ryan Martin '08 and Chris Kennison '07 each drove in a run.  Thomas Phelps '09 (2-1) pitched a complete game and allowed just one earned run on nine hits and struck out eight. 

Whittier got on the scoreboard first with three runs courtesy of three Claremont errors in the top of the second inning.  The Stags tied the score in the bottom of the fourth after a pair of errors by the Poet defense.  Claremont jumped out in front 5-3 with a pair of runs in the fifth.  The Poets got back within one run in the top of the sixth.  In the bottom half of the inning, a pair of singles to lead off the inning followed by a sacrifice bunt put Stags on second and third with one out.  Phelps got out of the inning allowing just one run and keeping the score close, 6-4.  To open the top of the seventh, Coddington reached on an error and stole second base.  Two batters later, Morgado's RBI single cut the Claremont lead to one.  Bateman walked to lead off the eighth and advanced to second on a Claremont wild pitch.  He was sacrificed to third and later scored on a Ryan Martin ground-out to tie the score at six.  Phelps again stymied the Stags offense in the bottom of the eighth and in the top of the ninth, four straight singles for the Poets scored two runs for the 8-6 victory.

The next day in game one of the doubleheader at Whittier, Smith went 5-for-5 with a double and two runs scored.  Martin  was 3-for-5 with two doubles, an RBI and a run scored.  Mike Benavente '09 went 3-for-5 with an RBI.  Crawford drove in a run and scored another.  Lorenzo Lopez '09 and Kennison drove in one run apiece; Kennison also scored a run.  Luke Moedritzer '09 and Morgado each scored a run.  Blake Luitwieler '08  started on the mound and gave up six earned runs on seven hits and four walks in four and two-thirds innings.  Matt Schwarz '07 came on in relief and allowed one unearned run and two hits in two and two-thirds innings.  Scot Kakuk '08 (0-3) was credited with the loss after giving up two earned runs on three hits and a walk in two innings pitched. 

The Poets struck first in the second inning, putting up four runs on four singles and a Claremont error.  The Stags cut into the lead with a run in the top half of the third, but the Poets quickly regained the four-run lead with a Martin RBI double.  They added one more in the fourth inning;  6-1 Poets.  In the top of the fifth, the Stags' bats got hot, picking up four hits in the inning.  Coupled with three walks and a hit-by-pitch, Claremont put up five runs in the inning to tie the score at six.  The Poets regained the lead in the seventh on a Crawford sacrifice fly that brought in Smith.  Once again, Claremont tied the score, this time at seven, in the top of the eighth.  Neither team was able to score in the ninth inning, but in extra innings, Claremont was able to put up two runs in the top of the tenth to take the 9-7 lead.  Whittier was able to get runners on first and second in the bottom half, but they were unable to bring the runs home.

In the final game of the series, Benavente was the offensive star for a Poets team that got only five hits in the game.  Benavente was 2-for-4 with a home run, double, an RBI and two runs scored.  Smith and Bobby Wooldridge '08 each went 1-for-3 with an RBI.  Nick Taiariol '08 scored a run.  Justin Armijo '10 (2-2) gave up four earned runs on 12 hits and a walk in five and two-thirds innings pitched.  He also struck out four batters in the loss.  Kevin Chapman '10 pitched one and two-thirds innings of relief and faced seven batters, allowing two hits and striking out four.

Whittier was on the scoreboard early, when Smith's sacrifice fly brought Benavente home for the 1-0 lead.  Claremont answered in the fourth with a run and then added two more in the top of the fifth.  Wooldridge's RBI single in the bottom of the inning cut the Stags' lead to 3-2.  they expanded their lead to 5-2 with a run in both the sixth and seventh innings.  Benavente's solo blast in the bottom of the eighth made the score 5-3, but that was as close as the Poets would get.

The Poets are now 3-9 overall and 1-2 in SCIAC play.  Their next game is the series opener with Occidental on March 3 at Memorial Baseball Field.  They continue the series with a doubleheader at Occidental on March 4.