LOS ANGELES, Calif. (March 20, 2010) – A pair of two-run homeruns from the bats of the visiting Chapman University Panthers were too much for the Occidental College Tigers to overcome today on Anderson Field as the hosts fell 9-2 in the middle game of a three-game non-conference series.

Occidental escaped being shut out as they pushed a pair of runs across the plate in the bottom of the sixth. Glenn Gray, the Tigers' designated hitter, drew a walk and moved to second when Pedro Aldape singled to right field. A sacrifice bunt of the bat of Logan Allen moved the runners up and Casey Harms drove in the first run of the day with a single through the middle. Daniel Kelley, the only Oxy player with more than one hit on the afternoon, drove in the final run of the game with an infield single.

After a scoreless first two inning from transfer Stephen Hilliard the Panthers' bats woke up as they plated three runs in the third on four hits, including back-to-back doubles to lead things off.

Chapman added another pair in the top of the fifth when Tyler Hadzinsky connected for his second two-run homerun of the weekend. The first two Panthers reached in the seventh, forcing the Tigers' to make a pitching change. Brooks Belter took the ball, retiring a pair before Matt Luzar drove in both base runners with a single. Belter retired the side in the eighth and finished his 2.0 innings of work with the only three strike outs of the day for Oxy, allowing no runs.

In the ninth Chapman's Joe Lehman connected for a two-run homerun off Oxy junior Ross Pomerantz who tossed the ninth.

Kevin Ozaki reached base three times, all via walks. Both Harms and Ozaki were credited with a stolen base in the game.

Brian Rauh earned the win for Chapman and Hilliard was tagged with the loss.

Occidental (7-14) will travel back to Orange, Calif. tomorrow to face Chapman (16-4) at Hart Park in the series finale scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. .

Article by: Tracy Maple, Sports Information Director