LA VERNE, Calif. – A day after handedly winning on their home field, the Occidental College baseball team traveled to the University of La Verne to play on Ben Hines Field for the final time. After taking a 4-3 lead in the sixth, the Leopards dug in their claws, earning a 5-4 walk-off win in the final Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference meeting of the season between the teams.

Trailing 1-0 after a pair of throwing errors on the same play allowed the home squad to score, the Tigers evened the score in the top of the fourth. Logan Allen led off with a walk and came around to score on a Pedro Aldape double, his second hit of the game.

ULV responded with another run of their own in the bottom of the fourth to re-take the lead.

Oxy again knotted the score, at 2-2, when Allen's double drove in Kevin Ozaki, who singled with two outs.

The see-saw continued as the Leopards produced another run in the fifth when a leadoff walk turned into a run on a ULV double.

Aldape led off the sixth with his second homerun in as many games, tying things for the third time of the afternoon, forcing a pitching change for the Leos. After a pair of quick outs, Tigers' catcher Dale Garrett drew a walk and third baseman Riley Smith doubled to left center, earning the RBI as Garrett came in to score the go-ahead run, putting Oxy on top, 4-3, for the first time of the game.

Another lead off walk haunted the Black and Orange in the bottom of the seventh as pinch runner Aaron Coopman promptly stole second. A Mark Larini bunt single put runners on the corners before a 6-4-3 double-play erased two men from the base paths, but ULV erased their one-run deficit.

Facing reliever Sean Fasig the Tigers were unable to reach as the junior put up a pair of 1-2-3 innings against Oxy.

Oxy starting pitcher Ross Pomerantz allowed a lead off single in the bottom of the eight after throwing 7.0 strong innings, scattering seven hits while striking out five. Brooks Belter took the hill and quickly recorded the first of two strike outs before forcing a double play ball to end the frame.

In the bottom of the ninth Belter struck out the first batter he faced before surrendering a single. An opportunity to send the game into extras went awry when a throwing error on an attempted double-play turn allowed Larini to reach on a fielders choice and advance to second on the throw and put the Leos' leadoff batter, Jacob Ludvik in the box. He stroked a game-winning single to left, scoring Larini.

Belter (1-3) was tagged with the loss while Fasig earned his first win of the spring.

Aldape and Allen each collected three hits in the game, scoring once. Aldape drove in a pair and Allen had one RBI.

Occidental (12-25, 8-18) will conclude their road schedule on Friday when the travel to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps to play the 21-17 Stags who are 15-11 in SCIAC play at 3:00 p.m. on Arce Field.

Article by Tracy Maple, Sports Information Director