Box Score

WHITTIER, Calif. (March 14, 2018) – Whittier College topped Rutgers University-Newark by a score of 10-3 Wednesday evening in a non-conference baseball game in California.
 
The Scarlet Raiders fall to 5-5 on the 2018 season, while Whittier improves to 11-9. Rutgers-Newark will look to get back into the win column Friday when it takes on the University of Redlands at 3 p.m. (PST).
 
Wednesday's ballgame was a pitcher's duel through six, but after Rutgers-Newark came back to tie the game at three in the seventh, the Poets pulled away with seven runs in innings seven and eight.
 
Making his first start of the season for R-N and just the second start of his career, junior Luis Rojas acquitted himself very well in five innings of work. Rojas – who had an excellent season out of the bullpen in 2017 – allowed just one earned run (three total), one hit and four walks while striking out five of the 21 batters he faced.
 
The Poets took an early 1-0 lead in the first on a wild pitch, and Newark came back to tie things in its half of the third. Senior Joe Biggiani and junior Ryan Zucker walked with two outs, and senior Brian Boulineau roped a double down the left-field line to bring around Biggiani.
 
A walk, error and groundout led to two unearned runs for Whittier in the bottom of the fourth, and despite a sixth-inning leadoff single from Zucker, the score remained the same (3-1) through a full six frames.
 
Rutgers-Newark pulled even with a pair of tallies in the top half of the seventh. Junior Dominic Magliaro singled to set the table, and junior Luke Magliaro doubled to put runners at second and third with nobody out. Freshman Chris Suleski drove in the first run with a groundout to second, also allowing the runner at second to advance, and sophomore JC Ball came through with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at three.
 
Unfortunately, Whittier responded in the bottom of the seventh as the first seven Poets to step to the plate reached base, and the hosts ended the inning with an 8-3 lead. WC tacked on two in the eighth for the final margin.
 
Rutgers-Newark was totaled four hits in the game, getting one each from Boulineau, Dominic Magliaro, Luke Magliaro and Ryan Zucker. Boulineau, Ball and Suleski pocketed the Scarlet Raider RBI, with Biggiani and Zucker each drawing one walk.
 
Whittier only had two hits through six innings but finished the game with 11. James Beaudin and Royce Komesu combined on the four-hitter, with Komesu notching the win in four innings of work. First baseman Matthew Macey led the offense, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored.