Baseball completes sweep of Whittier
ORANGE, Calif. – The Chapman University baseball team completed a three-game sweep of Whittier on Saturday with a 10-0 and 7-4 win over the Poets at Hart Park. The Panther pitching staff combined to strike out 36 batters in the three-game series.
Both the Panthers and Poets participated in a Lace Up 4 Pediatric Cancer fundraiser through the Go 4 the Goal Foundation. All players and coaches wore gold shoelaces and funds were raised to support the foundation that puts the money back into research to cure pediatric cancer and supports families going through the battle.
Thank you to all the fans who gave online, participated in the 50/50 raffle (the winner donated his portion) and supported the Carter Strong Forever booth at the game as well as to the umpires who donated their game fees.
Game 1 – W, 10-0 (7 inns.)
The Panthers came out firing on all cylinders with a quick run-rule victory in the first game. Wyatt Thompson was dominant and eight of the nine starters in the lineup had at least one hit.
Thompson threw all seven innings and stifled the Poets from start to finish. He struck out the side to start the game, retired the first nine in order and did not allow a runner to third base in the victory. He ended the game with eight strikeouts and allowed just two singles.
The Chapman offense needed just one extra base hit to come away with the run-rule win. The Panthers hit 10 singles and Cole Minato hit a triple to plate all 10 runs. Minato singled in the seventh to score two runs and clinch the run-rule victory. He had three RBIs with his two-run single in the seventh and sacrifice fly in the sixth.
Oli Sellman completed a two-out rally in the first to put Chapman on the board with an RBI-single. The Panthers plated two more in the third and two more in the fourth on an error and a wild pitch. Three in the sixth and two in the seventh completed the run-rule.
Game 2 – W, 7-4
The long ball changed the game in the nightcap with the teams combining for three home runs. Max Banks came out of the bullpen to earn the win with three-plus strong innings and Mike Gorman earned his first career save.
Wilson Okizaki put Chapman in a 3-0 hole in the second with a three-run homer. AJ Anzai scored on a wild pitch in the bottom half to get a run back for the Panthers but the Poets scored again in the fourth to go up 4-1.
Chapman's starter Brandon Menzel left with an injury after the fourth run scored and Banks came on with the bases loaded and two outs. He ended the threat with a strikeout and continued a dominant relief effort. Banks struck out five over 3.1 innings of relief, allowing just a single and a walk.
Meanwhile, the Chapman offense went to work. Cooper Foard hit a solo homer to left in the fifth to make it 4-2. The Panthers went on to leave the bases loaded in the inning but continued to warm up. Drew Littwin knocked in Minato in the sixth with a one-out single and scored on Davis Mieliwocki's deep fly ball to center to tie the game at 4-4.
Anzai homered to lead off the fifth and give Chapman the lead in the seventh. Three consecutive singles brought in an insurance run, capped by Nick Kondo's RBI-single. Littwin hit a sacrifice fly to score Minato and make it 7-4.
Turner White and Gorman worked the final two scoreless innings to finish off the sweep. White struck out two and Gorman fanned one.
The Panthers end the regular season with the top two teams in the SCIAC standings – Pomona-Pitzer and La Verne. Chapman hosts Pomona-Pitzer on Friday at 3 p.m. to open the three-game SCIAC series.
By Steven Olveda
Sports Information Director
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