LOS ANGELES, Calif. (April 10, 2010) – Tyler
Eyrich took the Tigers on his back today in game one,
tossing a complete game shut out while scoring the winning run on a
suicide squeeze play as Oxy stole game one 3-0. In the night cap,
the teams needed extra innings and Jacob Lee
tagged up on a Pedro Aldape sacrifice fly to put
the game in the books with a 6-5, 10 inning victory.
Eyrich was the story of the morning game, facing just 32
batters, retiring the side in order in five of the nine frames. He
three-hit the Poets, walking just one and striking out six.
At the plate he was 1-for-2 with a double. Malachi
Krishok sacrificed him to third and in an attempted
squeeze play, an errant throw from the Whittier catcher allowed
Eyrich to score the ultimate winning run in the third inning.
In the fourth Stephen Hilliard singled and
scored on a single by catcher Brenton Wunner.
Aldape connected for a solo homerun in the eighth for an insurance
run.
The Tigers against jumped out to an early lead in the second
game of the afternoon. Senior designated hitter Glenn
Gray, who was 4-for-4 in the contest,
sent a two-RBI double to right center field, scoring
Anthony Salsedo and Hilliard who each singled.
Oxy went up 3-0 in the second when Jacbo Lee
bunted for a single and stole second before coming around to score
on a Logan Allen double.
Whittier would light up the scoreboard for the first time of the
day in the top of the third when they plated a pair. Two innings
later they knotted the affair at 3-3 with an unearned run.
Again, the Tigers regained the lead in their half of the fifth.
Allen was hit by a p itch and quickly swiped second base before
Hilliard drove him in with a triple down the left field line.
Aldape promptly singled, scoring Hilliard, putting Oxy up 5-3.
Starting pitcher Andrew Millian went 5.0
innings, allowing three runs, two earned, while striking out three.
Brooks Belter took over on the hill in the top of
the sixth.
Whittier got their leadoff batter on in the sixth by way of an
error, pushing the run across the plate to cut the Tigers'
lead to 5-4. After a 1-2-3 seventh inning, a leadoff single
followed by a sac bunt and an RBI single again tied the Tigers and
Poets after seven and a half innings.
It looked as if the Black and Orange would again retake the lead
in the bottom of the eighth, but as Lee slid into Whittier's
catcher, seemingly safely, the Poets appealed at third base and the
umpire ruled the Lee had left early on the sac fly attempt, and was
called out for the third our of the inning.
Belter handed the ball over to Ross Pomerantz
in the ninth. Salsedo flashed his speed and his glove for the first
out of the inning as he covered a lot of ground in center field,
coming away with the grab in left center. With runners at second
and third and a full count on the batter, Pomerantz forced a
groundball out to end the threat.
Gray doubled to lead off the ninth and Pomerantz then went in to
run. He advanced to third on a pass ball, but was stranded there.
The southpaw got three quick outs, two via strikeouts, in the top
of the tenth.
Lee had an opportunity to redeem himself in the bottom of the
tenth, singling to get things started. Salsedo sacrificed Lee to
second, nearly beating the throw. The Poets then opted to
intentionally walk both Allen and Hilliard to get to Aldape, who
made the Purple and Gold pay with a sac fly to right field to end
it.
The Tigers have won four straight and will enter the final round
of single games in SCIAC play next week.
Friday, April 16, Occidental (11-20, 8-13 SCIAC) will travel to
Cal Lutheran University (20-12, 13-8) to play at 3:00 p.m. on
Sparky Anderson Field.
Article by: Tracy Maple, Sports Information
Director
