Tigers Pounce on Golden Eagles
Will Ireton fields a ball at third base during the second game against LSU. (Photo: Tracy Maple)
LOS ANGELES, Calif. (March 2, 2008) – Occidental College exploded for 23 runs as they earned a pair of wins today over the University of La Sierra at Anderson Field. All of the Tiger position players saw playing time as they took 11-2 and 12-9 victories over the Golden Eagles in non-SCIAC play.
Senior centerfielder Matt Andersen sparked the offense today with a 3-6 day, scoring five times while driving in three. Seth Goss was also a menace for LSU today, going 2-3, reaching base four additional times after being hit by a pitch a trio of times and drawing a walk, scoring four times.
In game one John Clair earned his first collegiate victory, tossing 4.0 innings, striking out four, allowing one run on three hits as the Tigers cruised to an 11-2 win. Fellow classmate Nick Smallman took the hill for the next three innings to earn the first save of his career. He struck out three allowing just two hits.
The offense was led by the bat of Patrick Sarkissian who drove in four runs for the Tigers, going 2-3 with a double, while drawing a walk. Andersen, the Tigers centerfielder, and shortstop Case Miyahira were each 1-3 with a walk, scoring twice. Miyahira added an RBI in the fourth. Richie Veihl also collected a pair of hits and crossed the plate once.
LSU struck first with a run in the first, but didn’t get on the board again until the seventh.
Game two was more of the same for the Tigers who outscored the Golden Eagles 12-9.
Oxy connected for nine hits in the nightcap. Andersen stayed hot with a 2-3 game, including a double and a triple, driving in three and scoring three. Goss, was 2-2 with a walk and two runs scored as the DH. Adam Franks and Spencer Woolwine each crossed the plate twice, going 1-3 and 1-4, respectively. Franks also drove in a run.
Freshman third baseman Will Ireton collected his first collegiate hit in his first at bat in Orange and Black and scored the final Oxy run of the day. He also had a putout and an assist, which ended the game.
On the hill rookie Brooks Belter earned the win in his first collegiate start. The rightly threw 5.0 strong innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out three.
Occidental improves to 5-8, 1-5 in SCIAC play. The Tigers travel to Orange, Calif. on Saturday, March 8 to play the NCAA Division III # 1 Chapman University with first pitch slated for 1:00 p.m.
