Tigers Sweep Lions in Non-Conference Action

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (March 16, 2008) – With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning Gabriela Chavez scored the winning run on a double by Teresa Barabant to cap off a 5-4 come-from-behind victory to go along with an 11-10 first game victory at Bell Field today to complete the first Tiger sweep of the season.

Oxy erased a 4-0 deficit from the first inning, settling down and chipping away with two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to tie the score. Chavez was responsible for a pair of those runs. Chavez and Barabant scored after singling and doubling, respectively. Chavez then led off the fifth with a solo shot to left field. Stephanie Egan crossed the plate, to knot the game, on a single by freshman center fielder Olympia Powell after reaching on a single herself.

With one out in the bottom of the seventh Chaves reached on an error and scored from first on a hard hit ball to the leftfield fence to clinch the victory for the Tigers.

Laurel Rigsbee was credited with the victory after taking the ball in the first inning with no outs after all four Lions runs had scored on six consecutive hits. She struck out two and scattered two hits in 7.0 innings of work.

In game one the teams combined for 21 runs on 26 hits. Egan, Barabant, Rebecca Nashleanas, Hillary Armstrong and Alyssa Escalante each had two hits. Barabant drove in three while Egan and Escalante hit home a pair. Escalante hit a fifth inning homerun that cleared all fences around Bell Field and scored after drawing a walk in the fourth. Egan also scored twice and Nashleanas crossed the plate a trio of time.

Malia Tayabas-Kim earned the win after tossing 3.0 innings of three-hit softball. She allowed one run, which was unearned, and struck out three. Kelli Moriguchi, who started the game, came back on in the seventh to close the game out, earning the save, her first of the season.

Oxy improves to 3-15, matching their win total from a year ago. Patten, an NAIA school, falls to 5-19-1 on the season.

The Tigers will be back on the diamond March 22 at 12:00 p.m. against the University of La Verne on the road.