Baseball Wraps Up Ten-Game Nonconference Homestand

It was a long eight days for Whittier College baseball as they played ten games in that span, finishing 6-4.  After winning all four games in the California Classic, the Poets suffered two losses at the hands of top-ranked teams, Eastern Connecticut State and Kean University.  The Poets went on to the California Invitational, where they won two out of four games to wrap up the ten-game, nonconference home stand.

In a 21-5 loss to Eastern Connecticut, the Poets had just seven hits from seven different batters.  Ryan Crawford '11 hit a two-run homer and Lorenzo Lopez '09 and Brian Carmona '10 each drove in runs.  It was the start of a six-game hitting streak for Carmona, who would come up huge later in the week.  John Fugazi '09 and Ken Baptista '09 each finished with doubles. 

It was a rough day for a tired Poets pitching staff, as four of the five pitchers used in the game gave up four runs or more.  Mark Canner '08 got the start and was credited with the loss.

The next day, Whittier faced-off with defending national champion Kean University, and once again the Poets' hurlers were unable to keep a high powered offense in check.  Kean scored 25 runs on 25 hits and received help from six Poet fielding errors.  Five more Poet pitchers took the mound, with Phillip Limon '08 the only one not to concede a run.  He pitched two innings of no-hit ball, but his effort came when the game was already out of reach.  Thomas Phelps '09 was credited with the loss as his record falls to 3-2.

Offensively, the Poets were led by Baptista who went 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles, two RBI and a run scored.  Fugazi drove in two runs with a double and Carmona went 2-for-2 with a double, RBI and two runs scored.  Anthony Tsui '11 went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.

The California Invitational began on March 20 with Whittier taking on Rutgers-Camden University.  The Poets lost 14-5 in the contest after leaving 15 base runners stranded on the base paths and committing six errors.  Justin Armijo '09 pitched six strong innings, allowing just four runs before the Raptors' bats caught fire with seven runs in the seventh inning.  Armijo was credited with his third loss of the season. 

Mike Benavente '09 led the Poets at the dish, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.  Luke Moedritzer '09 came off the bench and went 2-for-2 with a double and a run scored.  Chuck Acker '08 had an RBI-double and a run scored.  Baptista and Crawford each had an RBI.

The Poets got back on the winning track the following day against UMASS-Dartmouth.  Kevin "Fungo" Pigott '09 pitched a gem, not allowing a hit until the fourth inning.  He pitched all seven innings of the mercy-rule shortened game, allowing just two runs on six hits. 

Whittier got the bats going in this one, racking up 15 runs on 19 hits.  Carmona had himself a day, going 4-for-4 with two home runs, two doubles, four RBI and three runs scored.  Benavente was just a triple away from the cycle, going 4-for-5 with a two run homer, a double and two singles.  He finished with three RBI and three runs scored.  Fugazi was 3-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and two runs scored.  Ryan Martin '08 went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.  Nick Taiariol '08 had an RBI-double and a run scored.  Baptista and Crawford each drove in a run and scored another.  Robbie Smith '08 and Moedritzer each came into the game to drive in a run.

The offense stayed hot in the 18-0 rout of Menlo College on March 22.  Anthony Cappelletti '09 led the way with a four-hit, six-RBI performance.  He was 4-for-4 with a solo home run, two doubles and a single.  Ryan Martin also went deep, finishing 2-for-3 with four RBI and two runs scored.  Carmona continued to crush the ball, hitting his third home run of the week to highlight a 2-for-4 performance with three RBI and two runs scored.  Acker went 2-for-3 with a double and three runs scored.  Baptista went 2-for-4 with an RBI-double and two runs scored.  Jerry Schnaus '09 had a two-run double in his only at-bat.  Jay Armenta '11 and Taiariol each drove in a run.  Patrick Martin '10 went 2-for-2 with a run scored.

The California Invitational ended later that day as the Poets took on Rutgers-Newark University, a team Whittier beat the previous weekend in the California Classic.  It would not be the same result however, as 19 Raider hits turned into a 17-9 Rutgers win.  Poet errors were the difference in the game, as seven errors resulted in eight unearned runs for Rutgers.  Seven of those unearned runs came with Blake Luitwieler '08 on the mound, and he was credited with the loss.

Carmona went 2-for-3 at the plate with two more doubles, giving him five doubles on the week.  Acker also hit a pair of doubles, driving in two runs and scoring another.  Smith and Crawford each had a hit and two RBI.  Benavente went 3-for-5 with a run scored.  Taiariol went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored in his final game as a Poet.  He will undergo season-ending ankle surgery after playing all season with the injury.  Aside from his bat and rocket-for-an-arm in right field, the Poets will miss his leadership in the dugout for the remainder of the season.

The Poets are back into their SCIAC schedule on March 28, when they open a three-game series with La Verne.  Game one is in Whittier at 3:00pm, followed by the day two doubleheader in La Verne on March 29.