LOS ANGELES, CALIF.  (April 11, 2009) – The Tigers came into the weekend set on breaking their current losing streak in conference play, but Whittier had other ideas and handed them their worst loss of the season in game one.  Oxy battled back in game two, and with some aggressive base running and big plays, were able to come back and take game two from the Poets.

In the opener Saturday, starting pitcher Shana Yackel was roughed up for eight runs in the top of the second inning.  Whittier sent 11 batters to the plate in that inning, and built a huge hole for the Tigers to climb out of, but they weren't finished yet.

Oxy did answer in the bottom of the second with a run, when they were able to load the bases on an infield single, hit batter and walk.  A single by Olympia Powell brought in the runner from third, but that would be all the scoring and hitting the Tigers would muster.  As the Poets would not surrender another hit for the rest of game.  While pouring it on offensively, winning easily 17-1 in the opener.

The thirty minute break in between games allowed the Tigers to regain their composure, and allow head coach Jodie Cox to make some adjustments to her lineup, sending out a slightly different look in game two that would pay dividends on defense.

The Poets again jumped on the board first in game two, scoring a run without a hit, as an Oxy error in the outfield brought home the runner who took off from first base on contact as the scoreboard had two outs showing.  But this time the Tigers came out and played the way they had been doing all season, and were looking for immediate payback, and that's exactly what Powell delivered in the bottom of the first with a triple to open the inning.  Two batters later Alyssa Escalante singled to bring in Powell and move Gabriela Chavez, who was hit by a pitch, to second base.  Alyssa Smith followed up with another single, that gave the speedy Chavez plenty of time to score from second, and just like that Oxy had take the lead two to one.

But a team that had just scored 17 runs earlier, would not go away just yet, and Whittier regained the lead with two runs in the top of the second.  The comeback Tigers would not let that go unanswered, as back to back singles by Britt Karp and Rebecca Nashleanas would bring up Powell who was having a stellar day.  Which would continue as the Oxy centerfielder would single to right bringing home Karp and tying things up at three apiece.

The third inning would become the most critical inning for both teams.  Whittier College loaded the bases with nobody out, and a defense that had given up 17 runs earlier in the day, had to tighten up and hold its ground.  The defensive adjustment made by Cox to start the game allowed the Tigers to do just that, as they escaped the inning with Yackel working every part of the plate and a defense that made the right decision on every ground ball, allowing only one Poet run.  Occidental then came up in the bottom half of the inning and capitalized on their limited chances.  With the bases loaded and two down, all done without a hit having been recorded by Oxy in the inning, Nicole Hannasch scored on a wild pitch that advanced the runners to second and third.  Setting up the most dramatic play of the game, as Nashleanas hit a slow grounder to the shortstop, Karp and Lindsay Gross took off on contact and it was now a race between Nashleanas and the Poet shortstop.  Which Nashleanas won by the slimmest of margins, and as the Whittier first baseman looked up after hearing the call, she fired a bullet to home plate that just missed a diving Gross.  In the biggest momentum swing of the game, Oxy was now ahead six to four.

Yackel made one more mistake on the mound the rest of the afternoon, giving up a leadoff homer in the top of the fourth, but she and the rest of the Tigers tightened up and allowed only two more base runners the rest of the contest. 

Meanwhile, Oxy tacked on three more insurance runs, manufacturing two runs on three hits in the bottom of the fourth.  As Tasta Serna-Gallegos picked up an RBI as she drove in a run with the bases loaded, and Gross picking up the other RBI of the inning as she drove in a run with a single to left center.  The same two hooked up again to add the final run of the game, as Gallegos doubled with two out in the bottom of the sixth, and was followed up by a single from Gross giving her her second RBI of the game. 

The 9-5 win improves the Tigers to 13-16 overall and 2-14 in conference play.

Next up for the Tigers is a busy weekend, this Friday , April 17^th they travel to Pomona Pitzer for a doubleheader starting at 2pm.  Followed by a second doubleheader Saturday, April 18^th, at the University of Redlands, that will also start at 2pm.