WHITTIER, CA. - It was a big day for head coach Mike Rizzo and the Whittier College Poets. The team was taking on their SCIAC opponent University of Redlands Bulldogs in the first game of a 3-game series. The Poet bats and the complete-game pitching effort by Maximus Berber (Riverside, Calif., Ramona HS), were strong enough to carry Whittier to an 11-1 victory over Redlands.

A big part of the Poets identity this year has been getting out to an early lead. Lew Rice (Walkerton, Va., IMG Academy) singled in the first inning of the game with 2-outs to get the offense started. The next batter was Ian Watanabe (Lodi, Calif., Lodi HS), after Rice stole second; he was able to drive him home. Whittier was out to a 1-0 lead.

Whittier athletics photo

After scoreless second and third innings, the Poets got a rally going in the fourth. Watanabe started things off with a single up the middle and from their the bats took off. Nathan Sherman (Ventura, Calif., Buena HS), Luis Guillermo Chavarin Jr. (Fullerton, Calif., Sonora HS, Cerritos College), and Ty Aldridge (Hayward, Calif., Moreau Catholic, Allegheny College) followed Ian up with back-to-back-to-back singles, giving the Poets a 2-1 lead. Jackson Brummett (Huntington Beach, Calif., Huntington Beach HS) then came up and hit a double down the right field line to score 2 more. James Stirton (Cerritos, Calif., Valley Christian HS) and Teige Barrett (San Diego, Calif., Mira Mesa HS) wanted in on the action and had RBI singles later in this inning, as Whittier held a 7-0 lead at the end of the fourth.

The Bulldogs were able to get on the scoreboard in the top of the seventh inning, but Whittier was not gonna let a comeback happen this game. To start the bottom half of the inning, Stirton, Barrett, and Rice all reached base. After Stirton scored on the Rice single, Sherman laced a line drive into right field to score the 2 runners.

Entering the eighth, the Poets were looking to end this game. With a 10-1 lead they only needed to score 1 more run for the mercy. Barrett did his part by doubling off the right field wall and was followed by a Rice walk. Watanabe then stepped to the plate and ended the game with one swing. He doubled off the right field wall and brought the winning run across the plate. Whittier had mercied Redlands by a final score of 11-1.

The Poets tallied 15 hits in this game and scored 11 runs on their way to their first mercy rule of the year. Barrett and Watanabe led the charge with 3 apiece, as they each had 2 RBIs as well. Rice, Sherman, and Aldridge also tallied multiple hits and an RBI for the team. On the defensive side of the field Berber toed the rubber and was fantastic. He threw a complete game, only allowing 1 run on 6 hits and 2 strikeouts. The team had his back in this game, as Delvan Gomez (Artesia, Calif., Gahr HS) and Sherman rolled 4 double-plays behind him.

Whittier took the first game of the series against the Bulldogs and this was a massive victory, as it was Coach Rizzo's 400th career victory. The skipper is in his 26th year at the helm of the program and this is a big milestone for not only him, but the team around him. The Poets will have a chance to add to the win total, traveling to the University of Redlands tomorrow for 2 more games against the Bulldogs. The first game will begin at 11:00.