Baseball Team Opens Season with a Split in California

Coach Sean Kinnney

Claremont, Calif. - The Whitman baseball team, under the guidance of first-year head coach Sean Kinney, opened the 2013 regular seasons today with a split against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at Arce Field. CMS took the opener 12 - 0 but the Whits rebounded in the second game to win 8 - 3.

In the Whitman victory, Spencer Hobson (So, Black Diamond, WA) got the win, giving up just 1 earned run on six hits over six complete innings. Robert Maislin (Fr, Houston, TX) came in to pitch three scoreless inning to get the save.

The Missionaries jumped out to an early 2 - 0 lead in the top of the first on a run-scoring double by Kyle Moyes (Jr, Henderson, NV), who later scored when Cameron Young (Jr, Wenatchee, WA) ripped a single. CMS tied the score in the bottom of the third at 2-all, and took the lead 3 - 2 in the bottom of the fifth when Sean Witte drove in Christian Hoaxsie with a single.

Whitman bounced right back in the top of the sixth, retaking the lead 4 - 3, courtesy of a groundout to second by Eli Mathieu (So, Seattle, WA) that scored Moyes and a single by Jonny Lari (Jr, Eugene, OR) that brought home Jimmy Madden (Jr, Huntington Beach, CA). The Missionaries added a run in the 7^th and three in the 8^th to secure their first win of the young season - the big damage in the eighth coming on a two-RBI double Jonny Chow (So, Keaau, HI). Kyle Buckham (Jr, Bellingham, WA) followed that up with a double to left-center to plate Chow.

Buckham, Moyes and Madden each had 2 hits with Moyes garnering 3 RBI's.

In the opener CMS's Andor Kesselman limited the Missionaries to 5 hits over 7 complete innings, while the offense broke open the game 8 - 0 with a six-run 2^nd inning, many of the runs unearned.  The Whits had the bases loaded twice in the game but could not push a run across.

Coach Kinney said after the doubleheader, "This was a good start to the season. We've got four more left but it's always good to get one on the first day."

The Missionaries continue their southern trip Saturday in Phoenix, Arizona when they take on Whittier (Calif.) at 10 am and the University of La Verne at 1:30 pm.

Contact:
Andrew Holt
Whitman Sports Information Director
holtac@whitman.edu
509.527.5902