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LOS ANGELES — The Occidental baseball team opened its SCIAC season with a 10-3 win over Whittier at Anderson Field on Friday.

Oxy starter Josh Cohen pitched well on the mound, striking out eight batters and giving up just one earned run, with one walk, in 6 innings pitched. He kept his fastball low in the zone and was able to recover after an early error led to Whittier taking the first lead, 1-0 in the top of the second.

Oxy's offense exploded in the fourth for nine runs, putting the game well out of reach. Jack Brancheau crossed the plate first on a bases-loaded walk, Derek Sun doubled in a pair of runs, and then Jared Baur, Brancheau and Jake Fredrickson each singled in two more.

Whittier added one run in the fifth and one more in the seventh, but went down mostly quietly. 

Oxy made good contact with the baseball all day, totaling nine hits up and down the line up. Eight Oxy players recorded a hit with Brancheau and Michael Netzel each having multi-hit days. 

Brancheau, a junior designated hitter from Scottsdale, Ariz., went 3 for 5 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored in the three hole. 

Netzel, a sophomore second baseman from Culver City, was 3 for 4 with a double and two runs scored in the lead off spot. 

Oxy reliever Tom Butler picthed the final three innings for the Tigers, allowing one run with three strikeouts.

Season Impact: Oxy improves to 1-1 overall and 1-0 in SCIAC on the season.

Whittier falls to 3-2 and 0-1.

Next Game: Oxy travels to Whittier for a doubleheader on Saturday. Game 1 begins at 11 a.m.