CLAREMONT, Calif. — Occidental College (20-20, 8-16 SCIAC) faced a tough weekend against Pomona-Pitzer (28-12, 17-7 SCIAC), losing both games with scores of 9-6 and 21-0.
In the first game, Occidental fell to Pomona-Pitzer despite a late four-run rally in the eighth inning. The game escalated early, with Pomona-Pitzer taking a commanding 4-0 lead in the second inning, thanks to Jack Gold's double, an RBI single by Sammy Lee, and a wild pitch. Occidental responded in the third inning as
Evann Smith singled and advanced on a hit by
Benjamin Fitzgerald, with a throwing error allowing both to score, narrowing the deficit to 5-2. However, Pomona-Pitzer extended their lead in the sixth inning with another four-run outburst, highlighted by RBI walks and a double by Tanner DeGrazia, bringing the score to 9-2.
Occidental mounted a late-game push in the eighth inning as
Ben Rutkin and
Nicholas Gonzalez reached base with a walk and a double, respectively. Smith drove in Rutkin with a sacrifice fly, and subsequent hits by
Griffen Rogers and Fitzgerald brought home additional runs, culminating in
Jackson Short's RBI single, making the score 9-6. Despite the rally, Pomona-Pitzer held on for the victory.
Lincoln Lyons pitched 5 innings, allowing 5 earned runs on 6 hits, with 1 walk and 4 hit batters.
Aidan Alfers struggled, walking 4 batters and conceding 4 earned runs without recording an out.
Malcolm Munnich provided relief with 3 innings pitched, giving up 2 hits and striking out 2. Fitzgerald led the offense with three hits and two runs, while Gonzalez recorded three hits, including two doubles, and Smith added two hits and an RBI.
Logan Rooney also contributed with two hits and an RBI.
In the second game, Occidental was defeated decisively by Pomona-Pitzer, with a final score of 21-0. The game started with Pomona-Pitzer taking control immediately, as Greg Pierantoni hit a grand slam in the first inning, giving the Sagehens a quick 4-0 lead. Despite a single from
Nicholas Gonzalez and a walk by
Ben Rutkin in the second inning, Occidental could not score, while Pomona-Pitzer added four more runs, including a two-run homer from Cooper Berry, resulting in an 8-0 lead through two innings.
The fourth inning saw Pomona-Pitzer explode for eight runs, extending the lead to 16-0, with Landon Hu contributing a double. The onslaught continued in the sixth inning, where a grand slam from Brody Ruyle helped push the lead to 21-0, which would hold as the final score.
Occidental's pitching staff faced significant challenges, starting with
Griffen Rogers, who pitched 1 inning and allowed 7 earned runs on 6 hits, including 2 home runs.
Nathan Goodman provided some relief, conceding just 1 earned run in 1 2/3 innings.
Jeremy Peddle and
Quinn Smith combined for 6 earned runs in just 2/3 inning, while
William Myers allowed 2 earned runs in 1 2/3 innings.
Michael Myers and
Cooper Tantraporn finished the game, giving up 2 and 1 earned runs, respectively, with Tantraporn recording 2 strikeouts.
Gonzalez led the offensive effort in the second game with two hits, including a double.
Alejandro Ducreux also contributed with a double and one hit, while
Thomas Munch secured a hit and a stolen base, and
Benjamin Fitzgerald added another hit to the team's total.
