CLAREMONT, Calif. – For the first time this season, No. 17/18 Pomona-Pitzer tasted defeat as the Whittier baseball earned a 3-2 win in Game 2 of Sunday's twin bill at Alumni Field.
The Sagehens (10-1, 5-1 SCIAC) won the series opener on a rainy Friday afternoon and needed only eight to take the first game of the doubleheader.
Ryan Schwenn, who entered the game on Sunday sporting a 0.00 ERA was tagged for eight runs on 12 hits in 5.1 innings of work. The junior held the nationally ranked Sagehens at bay through the first three innings and was in line for the win following a three-run third by his offense, but Pomona-Pitzer plated eight combined runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth stanza which proved the difference.
Whittier's three runs were provided by a three-run homerun by Cory Goodchild. Dan Gleiberman and Darby Weppner, who led off the inning with back-to-back singles, scored on Goodchild's second blast of the season.
Trailing 8-3 through six innings, the Poets added another run in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from Andrew Vallejo. Reed Tuttle scored on the play after he reached via error to start the stanza.
However, Pomona-Pitzer's offense was too much in Game 1 as it racked up 22 hits and scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh. The lone run by the Sagehens in the bottom of the eighth put the run rule into effect.
Despite the lopsided outcome, the Poets (4-4, 1-2 SCIAC) bounced back in the second game to pick up the one-run win.
Casey Serna started on the mound, and although he didn't factor into the decision, he held the Sagehens to just one run (unearned) on five hits through 4.1 innings. Austin Straus added a scoreless inning of work where he struck out two of the four batters he faced.
The win went to Mike Rueda who threw 2.2 innings and gave up just one run on two hits with three strikeouts. Taylor Fallon closed the door on the Sagehens as he picked up his third save of the season with a perfect ninth frame.
Whittier's runs came early and late in the win. The second inning saw both Goodchild and Weppner score on an RBI single by Nick Amicone.
The Sagehens scored one run in each the fifth and seventh inning but the purple and gold managed the game winning run in the top of the last inning.
Goodchild opened the ninth with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice by Tuttle. A passed ball moved Goodchild to third and Tuttle, who reached on his sacrifice, later stole second in the same at bat.
Pete Mitchell drew a one-out walk to load the bases and Sean-Michael Nada brought in Goodchild on a sacrifice fly to center field.
The loss is the first of the season for the Sagehens, who are ranked No. 17 by ABCA and No. 18 by D3baseball.com. This is the second win of the season for the Poets against a nationally ranked team.
The Poets return to action next Friday and Saturday with a three-game set against La Verne. Whittier will be on the road on Friday before returning to Memorial Field for two games on February 26.