LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Occidental College (4-2) was edged out by Lewis & Clark College (2-2) in a 13-10 contest on Sunday at Anderson Field. Despite a strong offensive showing with 13 hits and a home run, the Tigers could not hold off a late surge from Lewis & Clark, who scored seven runs in the ninth inning.
Occidental faced Lewis & Clark in a tightly contested game that ended with a dramatic ninth inning. The game started quietly, with Lewis & Clark taking an early lead, 2-0 through the first three innings.
Occidental broke through in the fifth inning, putting three runs on the board. Anotnio Longobardi started the rally with a single and scored on Miles Morales single. With the bases loaded,
Charlie Karlovic reached on an error, allowing two more runs to score, giving the Tigers a 3-2 lead after the fifth.
In the sixth, the Tigers extended their lead. Longobardi singled and advanced on wild pitches, eventually scoring on another single by Morales.
Thomas Munch, pinch hitting, added an RBI single to make it 5-2, Occidental.
The seventh inning saw Occidental's offense surge again. After
Daniel Major singled, Longobardi hit a three-run homer to extend the lead to 8-3. The Tigers added two more in the eighth, thanks to a two-RBI single by
Nicholas Gonzalez, pushing the score to 10-5.
However, in the ninth inning, Lewis & Clark mounted a significant comeback, scoring seven runs, highlighted by a grand slam, securing a 13-10 victory.
Longobardi delivered a strong performance, scoring three runs and driving in three more with a home run, while recording four hits. Morales contributed significantly with two hits, three runs, and two RBIs. Gonzalez added two RBIs with a clutch hit.Â
The Tigers return to Anderson Field on Friday, February 20 to host Claremont-M-S, acting as the away team due to a field switch. It's the SCIAC opener and begins a three-game set with the Stags who reached the NCAA Super Regionals a season ago.
