THOUSAND OAKS — After two narrow defeats to the defending SCIAC champions, Johnathan Brooks exploded and the Occidental baseball team made sure it took at least one game from Cal Lutheran with a definitive 11-2 rout of the Kingsmen in the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday.
Brooks went 7 for 10 with 5 RBIs on the day, including going 5 for 6 with 4 RBIs as the Tigers took down the Kingsmen in the series finale.
Cal Lutheran won the series 2-1. Oxy lost a pitcher's duel on Friday, 4-1, and had a comeback attempt come up a little short in a 4-3 loss in Game 1 on Saturday.
Game 1: Cal Lutheran 4, Occidental 3
The Tigers rallied from down 3-1 in the top of the ninth to even the game at three only to give the game back in the bottom half.
Brooks and Riley Smith had the key RBI-singles, scoring Scott Ericksen and Cordell Harris.
In the bottom of the ninth, Atherton Kniseley drove in Kyle Sanchez with a single up the middle to end the game.
Smith finished Game 1 2 for 5 with the RBI, along with a stolen base. Mitch Margolis started the game for Oxy, throwing 6.1 innings with four strikeouts and three earned runs.
David Feasler was charged with the loss.
Aaron Roth earned the win for the Kingsmen.
Game 2: Occidental 11, Cal Lutheran 2
Brooks drove in runs in four of Oxy's five scoring innings. The Tigers created the most separation in the sixth inning, leading 3-1. Jonathan Wong, Brooks, Smith and A.J. Libunao all had RBI-knocks, blowing the game wide open with a five-run inning that made it 8-1.
Oxy freshman Nolan Watson, fresh off of a one-hit, six-inning effort against Drew University last week, continued his good work on the mound, throwing eight innings with just two earned runs.
Scott Peters was charged with the loss for the Kingsmen.
Charlie Caccamo went 3 for 5 with a double and two runs scored for Oxy. Wong was 2 for 4 with a double, a stolen base and four runs scored.
The Tigers remain in fourth place in the SCIAC at 7-5 and are 9-11 overall. They return to action on March 22 against Rutgers-Newark at Oxy's Anderson Field.
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