REDLANDS – Logan Allen (Atascadero) had one of those days where the ball looked like a beach ball.
One day after his 13-game hitting streak ended, the senior shortstop went 3 for 4 with a home run and an RBI-double in the late innings, leading the Occidental College baseball team to an 8-7 win at Redlands in the final game of the three-game series, and a 2-1 series win over the Bulldogs.
"It felt good to contribute to a team win," Allen said, adding that winning the series was a big step for a Tigers team that's hungry for the SCIAC tournament. "Those were big wins. It was a big series against a team we were pretty much tied with (in the standings) and we're hoping to keep the ball rolling next week."
Allen was 6 for 8 on the day, going 3 for 4 in a 4-2 loss in the first game of the day. In the second game, he hit a solo shot over the wall in left center in the top of the seventh inning, breaking a 5-5 tie, and then gave Oxy a three-run insurance cushion with an RBI-double that one-hopped the wall near the same spot, in the eighth. He finished with three RBIs, three runs scored and two stolen bases.
On Friday, Allen was a split second late to first on a bunt and had a single taken away by a diving play in center field.
"That's the game of baseball," he said. "It all evens out over the course of the season."
Redlands (16-12, 12-9 SCIAC) got a run in the eighth and ninth, but came up a little short of erasing Oxy's advantage.
The victory couldn't have been much more pivotal in the SCIAC standings for Oxy and its hopes of finishing in the top four. With the win, the Tigers sit alone in fourth – the final SCIAC Postseason Tournament spot – trailing La Verne by a half-game for third and four games back of first-place Cal Lutheran (22-6-1, 15-3 SCIAC). Had the Tigers lost, they'd be in fifth, on the outside looking in, just a game ahead of Chapman (12-17, 9-9 SCIAC).
Johnathan Brooks (Huntington Beach) kept his hot streak alive as well. The lefty power hitter went 3 for 4 with a triple, three RBIs and two runs. After coming into the day leading the conference in hitting, Brooks fell to second (.446) behind Redlands' Alex Schiewe, who went 4 for 5 and upped his now league-best average to .462.
Oxy freshman starter C.J. Maruyama (Danville) had one of very few bumpy starts so far in his Oxy career, lasting just four innings with five earned runs, but the Oxy bullpen held the lead. David Feasler (Park City, Utah) earned the win, freshman Scott Ericksen (Lafayette) picked up his second career save and six different Oxy relievers pitched five innings without giving up an earned run.
Redlands reliever Ross Orman was charged with the loss.
Pedro Aldape (Sherman Oaks) went 2 for 4 with an RBI for Oxy.
Mark Tumlinson was 2 for 6 with two runs and Matt Barnes was 2 for 4 with two runs for the Bulldogs.
Every series at this point is critical for the Tigers. They face La Verne for a three-game series next weekend, starting at Mt. San Antonio College on Friday at 7 p.m.
"We've got to beat La Verne next week. We need to win that series," Allen said.
The Tigers hit the 20-win mark, but have lost five SCIAC games by two runs or less.
"We just have to be confident in our abilities. Our offense picked up this weekend and our pitchers did what they were supposed to do so if our team can keep playing complete games, we'll be fine."