WHITTIER, Calif. – The Whittier College baseball team upset No. 10 Cal Lutheran University 4-2 Friday afternoon at Memorial Field running their winning streak to three games.
With every game crucial in the homestretch with SCIAC Post Season Tournament berths on the line, the Purple & Gold put together yet another strong pitching and hitting performance to improve to 19-10, 15-4 SCIAC taking over sole possession of first place in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Standings.
In celebration of NCAA DIII Student-Athlete Appreciation week, the student athletes of Whittier College prior to the game chose to honor the following professors for their hard work and dedication. They have also put in countless hours in support of our student-athletes both academically and athletically. Each of these professors continue to inspire our Whittier College student-athletes in reaching their goals and working toward their full potential. The Whittier College Student-Athlete Advisory Committee would like to personally thank them for their commitment and for sharing their passion for teaching. The five seniors on the baseball team each handed out an autograph baseball as a thank you, with each professor donning an NCAA Division III Poet t-shirt.
Dr. Kathy Barlow
Dr. Christina Scott
Dr. Patricia Van Oosbree
Dr. Ann Hickey
Dr. Jefferey Decker
Dr. Lizardo Herrera
Dr. Theresa Delfin
Professor Melanie Householder
Division III home run leader Julian Barzilli added to his lead with his 15th of the season in the eighth inning that provided insurance for Whittier. Junior Ben Cerami added three of the four runs on the afternoon coming on a single through the right side in the first inning that scored Barzilli and then hitting a two run homer to left that plated Stephen Zavala in the sixth.
This would be enough as southpaw Nick Garcia would go 7.1 innings giving up two runs on 10 hits picking up his fifth win of the season before making way for Cerami in the eighth and ninth who collected his sixth save of the season.
Barzilli went 2-4 with two runs scored and a run batted in along with Zavala. They were joined by Cerami who was also 2-4 with three RBI's and a run scored.
Whittier completes the three game series tomorrow, Saturday, April 12 in Thousand Oaks, Calif. with game times set for 11:00am and 2:30pm.