Whittier, California - On the final day of Oberlin baseball's spring break trip, the Yeomen fell to the Whittier College Poets 9-8 in a back-and-forth battle.
 
Freshman infielder Samuel Labrecque led off the top of the second with a sharp single over the shortstop's head and freshman catcher Daniel Krabill followed with a one-out walk to give the Yeomen two on with one out. After a strikeout, freshman infielder Ryan Robinson walked to load the bases. The next batter, freshman second baseman AJ Senga delivered a line drive single into center, scoring Lebrecque to make it a 1-0 game.
 
Freshman righthander Matthew Ruttkay got the nod on the bump for the Yeomen. The 6'6 Northbrook, IL native fought through four innings, allowing six earned runs on six hits while striking out one.
 
The Poets got on the board in the bottom of the second to make it a 1-1 game and added another in the top of the third to send the game to the fourth, with them leading 2-1.
 
In the top of the fourth, following a Masnikoff single to center, freshman left fielder Daniel Devapalan smoked his first career collegiate home run over the center field wall to put the Yeomen in front 3-2.
 
The Poets quickly responded in the bottom half, amassing four runs on four hits to retake the lead, 6-3.
 
Yet, the Yeomen battled back again in the top of the fifth. With the bases loaded and one out, Masnikoff laced a to right to score two and make it a one-run game. After the next batter popped out, Devapalan delivered again, this time placing a run-scoring single through the 5-6 hole to knot the score at six.
 
Once again, the Poets responded in the bottom half, plating three runs on three hits to retake the lead, 9-6.
 
In the pen, the Yeomen turned to sophomore Micah Rodriguez in relief of freshman Kaes Carter. The right-hander was dominant in his 3.2 innings of work, allowing only two hits while striking out four. 
 
"Micah filled up the zone today," junior catcher Anton Shelton said. "He had command of all three pitchers and it allowed him to be successful." 
The Yeomen tacked on runs in the top of the sixth and seventh but it wasn't enough. Oberlin went down in order in the ninth as they fell, 9-8.
 
The loss snaps the Yeoman's four-game win streak as they move to 7-12 as they approach the halfway mark of their season. The win moves Whittier to 7-14. 
 
Oberlin is back on the East Coast this Sunday. The Yeomen take on Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
Fans can keep up with their favorite teams on Instagram, Facebook, X, or TikTok, and watch all the home matches live online. The Crimson and Gold's home broadcasts can be accessed on TV through the official Oberlin College Sports Network app on Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Fire TV.