THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Occidental (16-4, 5-2) secured a 6-2 victory over Cal Lutheran (15-5, 3-1) on Friday at "Sparky" Anderson Stadium. A four-run rally in the sixth inning propelled the Tigers to the conference win.
Occidental secured a 6-2 victory over Cal Lutheran, highlighted by a series of key innings. In the fourth inning,
Griffen Rogers reached base on a walk and advanced to third through two steals.
Evann Smith drove him home with a single to right field, putting the Tigers ahead 1-0.
The sixth inning saw the Tigers extend their lead significantly. After
Benjamin Fitzgerald and
Tyler Kubo reached base with singles,
Logan Rooney brought Fitzgerald home with a single.
Antonio Longobardi followed with an RBI single, and an error allowed two more runs to score, bringing the lead to 5-0.
In the seventh inning,
Jackson Short's double and subsequent advancement on a wild pitch set up Fitzgerald, who singled down the right field line to score Short, increasing Occidental's lead to 6-0.
The Kingsmen responded in the bottom of the seventh with Jacob Blickenderfer's solo home run. Wes Lynch later scored an unearned run, narrowing the gap to 6-2.
Occidental maintained its lead through the final innings, securing a 6-2 victory over Cal Lutheran.
Riley Holcomb delivered an impressive performance, pitching 6 innings with only 1 hit allowed, 1 walk, and no earned runs, securing a win with a WHIP of 0.33.
Antonio Vazquez faced challenges during his brief 1/3 inning appearance, conceding 2 runs on 2 hits, including a home run, resulting in a WHIP of 20.00.
Malcolm Munnich provided solid relief over 2 2/3 innings, surrendering 2 hits without allowing a run and striking out 2 batters, maintaining a WHIP of 0.91.
Rogers drew two walks and successfully stole two bases. Smith contributed with a hit and an RBI, recording his single while runners were in scoring position. Short scored once and collected two hits, including a double. Fitzgerald led the team with three hits, adding a double and driving in one run.
Occidental has a record of 16-4 and is 5-2 in the conference. The Kingsmen have a record of 15-5 and hold a 3-1 conference record.
