Tigers score three runs in ninth to beat the Poets

LOS ANGELES - The Whittier College baseball team lost its seventh one-run game of the year on Friday afternoon at Anderson Field as Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference rival Occidental College scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth en route to the 7-6 win.

The Poets (11-24, 5-11 SCIAC) got 8.2 innings out of starting pitcher Justin Armijo who allowed seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits. Armijo gave way to Kevin Pigott with two outs in the ninth but a walk and an infield hit set up the game winning RBI single for the Tigers.

Whittier trailed 2-0 through four innings but took the lead with a three-run fifth. Taylor Fallon hit a one-out single and stole second base to get in scoring position for Reed Tuttle who singled home WC's first run of the game.

Anthony Cappelletti drove in the next run for the purple and gold and a wild pitch plated the third score of the inning for WC.

Whittier added to its lead with a run in the seventh inning but Occidental answered with two runs in the bottom half of the inning to tie the score at four.

The Poets took a two-run lead in the top of the ninth off a Michael Benavente solo homerun and an RBI double from Pete Mitchell but Oxy came back with the final three runs of the game.

Whittier and Occidental finish their three-game series with a doubleheader tomorrow, April 25, at Memorial Field. The first pitch of Game 1 is scheduled for 11 a.m.