Greg Dillon (Photo by Larry Newman)
Greg Dillon (Photo by Larry Newman)

Dillon supplies walk-off in split with Whittier

ORANGE, Calif. –  Senior Greg Dillon delivered a walk-off in the ninth inning of game one and the Chapman University baseball team split a doubleheader with Whittier College on Saturday at Hart Park. The Panthers secured a walk-off 4-3 win in game one before falling 5-4 in extra innings of game two.

Game 1: Chapman 4, Whittier 3

Tied 3-3 heading into the ninth, Dillon hit a sacrifice fly to leftfield to score freshman Anthony DeNiro and give the Panthers the 4-3 win. The game-winner, left junior Ben Vietze with his first win of the season after holding the Poets scoreless through the last two innings.

The Panthers scored their first run of the game in the first inning when sophomore Jared Love provided an RBI single to give Chapman a 1-0 lead. Trailing 1-0 in the sixth, junior Jake Raynaud hit a three-run bomb to lift the Poets to a score of 3-1. The Panthers tightened the score 3-2 in the seventh with an RBI single by senior Tim Alhanati and then tied it 3-3 with an infield RBI by freshman Konnor Zickefoose.

Freshmen Trevor Willits and Andrew Mendonca finished the game with a pair of hits, collecting four of the Panthers 10 hits in game one.

Game 2: Whittier 5, Chapman 4

In game two, the Panthers and Poets cycled through four pitchers in a 13 inning game before Whittier could clinch the 5-4 game two win. Tied 4-4 in the 12th, sophomore Dmitr Washington came up clutch for the Poets doubling to deep center to score Brandon Mulrooney to earn the game-winning hit.

Whittier took an early 3-0 lead, scoring a run in the third and a pair in the fourth. However, the Panthers chipped away at the Poet's lead with runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth to tie the game up 3-3. The Poets capitalized on a Chapman error in the 11th to take the lead 4-3, but junior Gavin Blodgett went yard to tie the game back up 4-4.

Blodgett and Dillon finished the game with a pair of hits each for the Panthers. Junior Josh Norwood threw a sold eight innings for the Panthers, collecting a career-high nine strikeouts before retiring without a decision.

Chapman will continue its three-game series with Whittier College on Sunday, April 10 weather permitting. The Panthers will then return home on Friday, April 15 for a SCIAC contest against Pomona-Pitzer beginning at 3 p.m.  

by Raquel Rinauro
Sports Information Assistant

Become a fan of Chapman Athletics on Facebook
Follow Chapman Athletics on Twitter @ChapmanSports
Post your #PantherPic to Instagram @ChapmanSports
#Chaptown

 

ORANGE, Calif. –  Senior Greg Dillon delivered a walk-off in the ninth inning of game one and the Chapman University baseball team split a doubleheader with Whittier College on Saturday at Hart Park. The Panthers secured a walk-off 4-3 win in game one before falling 5-4 in extra innings of game two.

Game 1: Chapman 4, Whittier 3

Tied 3-3 heading into the ninth, Dillon hit a sacrifice fly to leftfield to score freshman Anthony DeNiroand give the Panthers the 4-3 win. The game-winner, left junior Ben Vietze with his first win of the season after holding the Poets scoreless through the last two innings.

The Panthers scored their first run of the game in the first inning when sophomore Jared Loveprovided an RBI single to give Chapman a 1-0 lead. Trailing 1-0 in the sixth, junior Jake Raynaudhit a three-run bomb to lift the Poets to a score of 3-1. The Panthers tightened the score 3-2 in the seventh with an RBI single by senior Tim Alhanati and then tied it 3-3 with an infield RBI by freshman Konnor Zickefoose.

Freshmen Trevor Willits and Andrew Mendonca finished the game with a pair of hits, collecting four of the Panthers 10 hits in game one.

Game 2: Whittier 5, Chapman 4

In game two, the Panthers and Poets cycled through four pitchers each, trading leads twice, while playing three extra innings before Whittier could clinch the 5-4 game two win. Tied 4-4 in the 12th, sophomore Dmitr Washington came up clutch for the Poets doubling to deep center to score Brandon Mulrooney to earn the game-winning hit.

Whittier took an early 3-0 lead, scoring a run in the third and a pair in the fourth. However, the Panthers chipped away at the Poet's lead with runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth to tie the game up 3-3. The Poets capitalized on a Chapman error in the 11th to take the lead 4-3, but junior Gavin Blodgett went yard to tie the game back up 4-4.

Blodgett and Dillon finished the game with a pair of hits each for the Panthers. Junior Josh Norwood threw a sold eight innings for the Panthers, collecting a career-high nine strikeouts before retiring without a decision.

Chapman will continue its three-game series with Whittier College on Sunday, April 10 weather permitting. The Panthers will then return home on Friday, April 15 for a SCIAC contest against Pomona-Pitzer beginning at 3 p.m.  

by Raquel Rinauro
Sports Information Assistant

Become a fan of Chapman Athletics on Facebook
Follow Chapman Athletics on Twitter
@ChapmanSports
Post your #PantherPic to Instagram
@ChapmanSports
#Chaptown