LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Feb. 7, 2009) – A rain-out on Friday forced the Occidental College and Whitman College to play a double header on Saturday, well most of it. After a morning full of working on the field to make it playable the teams got in the first nine inning affair with the Tigers defeating the Missionaries 11-6. The second game of the day got into the bottom of the ninth, with one out and runners on second and third before the umpires called it due to torrential rains.

With the teams scheduled to meet Sunday for the final game of the three-game set, teams will arrive an hour earlier than scheduled 10:00 a.m. to finish off game two, in which WC was up 13-11.

Under a light rain the teams took the field at 11:00 a.m. and Occidental struck first in the third inning when Nick Saraceni walked and stole second before scoring one of his three runs of the morning. Whitman promptly tied things up with a bases loaded walk in the top of the fourth.

Jason Jebbia then drove the ball over the right field fence to put the Tigers back on top in the bottom part of the inning. After WC again knotted things up, Saraceni doubled down the left field line in his next at-bat, being driven in by Steve Schaffer for the second time of the game.

In the sixth the Missionaries strung together four hits, taking advantage of an Oxy error to plate four and take a 6-3 lead in the sixth. Oxy again retaliated in the seventh, pushing three runs across the plate to again tie things up.

While Tyler Eyrich shut Whitman down over the next 2.2 innings, which eventually earned him his first collegiate win, the Tigers put together a five run eighth inning. They drew a pair of walks and had two batters hit with a couple of singles mixed in.

Kieran Doherty came in to close the door, tossing 1.1 hitless and scoreless innings, striking out one. Starting pitcher Ross Pomerantz lasted 4.2 innings, allowing two runs on three hits while walking five and striking out a pair.

Schaffer had just one hit, but drove in five. Jebbia finished the game 4-for-5 with three RBIs and a run while Anthony Salsedo was 2-for-2 with two runs scored in his only two at bats of the game.

The Missionaries looked to first baseman Matt Morris and catcher Michael Lazcano who were each 2-for-4. Morris drove in three and they each scored once. Pete Stadmeyer took the loss after throwing 6.2 innings.

In the nigh cap Whitman sent 13 men to the plate in the first inning, with each of the nine men in the starting order scoring a total of nine runs on eight hits, including a homerun by Calvin Davis.

The Tigers would chip away at the deficit, scoring two in the second and one in the third. Down 12-3 Oxy got nine men up to the plate in the sixth. Salsedo and Schaffer led off with back-to-back singles then with one out Saraceni, Dale Garrett, Alex Bukac and Kevin Ozaki connected for four consecutive base hits, plating four.

Whitman pushed another run across in the top of the ninth. Then things got interesting as Occidental got fired up in the ninth. Jebbia drew a leadoff walk and Salsedo connected for his second homerun of the season. Schaffer then reached on a walk and Richie Veihl drove the ball down the left field line to put runners on the corners. Saraceni lifted the ball into center for a sac fly and Bukac also found a hole down the line in left, plating Veihl.

With one out, runners at first and third and a 2-1 count on Ozaki the umpires suspended the game due to torrential rain.

Matthew Jones got the start and lasted just 4.0 innings, allowing 11 runs (seven earned) as the Missionaries connected for 12 hits. Sophomore Kris Suzuki came on in relief, throwing 5.0 innings, scattering five hits while striking out five.

For Whitman Erik Korsmo was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a pair of runs while Blaine Mercado was 2-for-5 with two batted in an two runs scored. Jason Sease was also 3-for-5, scoring once and driving one in.

Peter Olson was the starting pitcher and lasted 5.1 before handing the ball over to Davis.

Weather pending, Sunday, the teams will complete this game before playing nine more innings to close out the series.