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LOS ANGELES — Eamon McNeil hit a three-run shot, Jack Brancheau had another multi-hit game and Angelo Zorn was 3 for 4 and wore the game-winning pitch as the Tigers walked off with a 6-5 win over Bates at Anderson Field on Monday.
With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Zorn, a first year from San Rafael, took a fastball off the back, sending Brancheau across the plate for the victory.
Brancheau went 2 for 5 with a double and two runs scored. It's his third game with at least two hits already this season.
McNeil tied the game with a homer that cleared the left-center field wall easily, putting Oxy up 3-2 during a five-run third inning.
Bates tied the score in the top of the fifth with three runs.
Cade Denyer threw five innings of outstanding relief, earning the victory for the Tigers. He struck out seven batters, with no earned runs and just two hits. Justin Hirschberg was good in his first career start, with four strikeouts and no earned runs in four innings pitched.
Reid Gibbs went 1 for 4 with a run scored and a double, Josh Rego was 2 for 4 with an RBI, and Bryan Smith was 1 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI for Oxy.
Oxy senior Dean Abramson, normally a side arm reliever, caught a full nine innings behind the plate.
Season Impact: The Tigers improve to 3-2 on the season.
Next Game: The Tigers take on NCAA Division III defending national champion Cal Lutheran this weekend, beginning with a road game on Friday at 2:30 p.m. The teams will finish their series with a doubleheader at Oxy's Anderson Field on Saturday.
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