LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Baseball played their first game back at Anderson Field after a trip to Louisiana earlier this week as they took on the Willamette Bearcats in game one of a three-game weekend set.
Willamette got on the board in the first inning with a 2-run single, but Oxy answered back in the bottom half of the 2nd inning thanks to a solo home run from Taylor Cann to deep center field.
Oxy kept the rally going after the home run, scoring 5 runs in the inning on an RBI single from Anthony Sereno and RBI doubles from Thomas Munch and Jeffery Cambra.
In the 3rd inning Cann homered again, this time to left center field to extend the Tiger lead to 6-3. Anthony Sereno had another RBI single in the 3rd inning as well, and Oxy also manufactured a run with a well executed first and third play in which Nick Gonzalez got caught in a rundown between first and second, allowing Tyler Kubo to score on the play.
The Bearcats cut into the lead with a run in the 5th and 2 runs in the 6th, making it a tight 8-6 ballgame. The Tigers responded by adding on an insurance run in the bottom half of the 6th as Munch ripped a ball down the left field line for an RBI double, scoring Sereno to give Oxy a three-run lead.
Willamette got the run right back in the top of the 8th inning with a lead off solo shot that cut the lead back down to two runs. After two runners reached, Oxy went to AJ Naha out of the bullpen.
Naha would fool the runner with a pick off move to 2nd base and Gonzales would apply the tag for the first out of the 8th. Naha would allow a runner on with a hit by pitch, but immediately fool another runner with the same pick off move to 2nd, this time holding on to the ball and tagging the runner out himself as the runner tried to slide into 3rd.
The inning would end on a strikeout, and Naha would pitch a clean 9th inning to secure the save and the 9-7 win for the Tigers.
Oxy was led offensively by Taylor Cann who went 3-4 at the plate including his two solo home runs. Thomas Munch was also 3-5 with 3 RBIs and a run scored.
Alex Dexter started the game and pitched 5.2 innings while striking out four, and Naha allowed no hits and no walks over the final two innings to secure his first save of the season.
The Tigers will be back in action tomorrow morning in game one of Saturday's doubleheader at 11am with game two following at 2:30pm.
