LOS ANGELES — Logan Allen (Atascadero) swung his way to the top the Occidental College baseball record books against La Verne in a Saturday doubleheader at Anderson Field, eclipsing Mark Harris' '91 all-time hits record of 184 with a bunt single in Game 1 and tying Mike Kniseley '90 and Matt Anderson '08 for the career doubles record of 37 with an RBI two-bagger in Game 2. Oxy split the pair against the Leopards, winning 4-3 in Game 1 and losing 6-5 in Game 2. After taking the series with the Leopards 2-1, the Tigers (22-10, 13-8 SCIAC) now sit just two wins away from surpassing last year's mark of 23 victories.
Game 1: Occidental 4, La Verne 3 (11 innings)
Oxy starting pitcher Scott Hong (Los Angeles) got out of a jam by allowing just one run after loading the bases in the top of the first inning. La Verne's Jared Hovsepian singled to lead off the game and Hong hit Nicholas Bergara and walked Pedro Espinoza to put runners on every sack with just one out. After walking Michael Stewart to plate Hovsepian, Hong grounded George Holland into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Hong, who has only started on the mound for the Tigers over the last few weeks, would settle in and not allow another hit until the sixth and not another run until the ninth. He finished the contest scattering five hits, allowing three earned runs, walking four and striking out two through 8.1 innings of work.
"I enjoy starting," Hong said. "When I'm on the mound I feel in control, and today I felt good hitting my spots. They were getting the bat on the ball a lot. These guys are great hitters; they know how to grind out at-bats and put the ball in play. And we had great defense to handle those balls hit in the first game, and I thought our team played great."
Though Hong didn't get any run support until the bottom of the sixth, the Tigers put at least one runner on base in each of the first five innings as the team attempted to ignite the offense and manufacture runs. Allen's historical 185th hit traveled just 11 feet down the third base line as he opportunistically took advantage of a soft spot in the Leopard defense. The senior shortstop legged out the bunt, beating the throw to first to take sole possession atop the all-time hits list.
"I try not to think about [the record]," said Allen, who was also part of 14 of Oxy's 33 outs in Game 1, including three double plays. "Just play baseball and the results will come if you keep playing. It's been fun, though."
The Tiger bats heated up for good in the sixth, when Pedro Aldape (Sherman Oaks) doubled to left center with one out and scored on the ensuing at-bat on an Alec Strain (Sacramento) single to right. Just one inning later, Allen struck again at the plate, clanging a two-run homer high off the foul pole in left after A.J. Libunao (Huntington Beach) reached on an error.
Oxy held onto the 3-1 advantage until the top of ninth, when La Verne knocked Hong around for two runs off three hits to tie the game. David Feasler (Park City, Utah) came on in relief of Hong to close out the ninth, and Scott Ericksen (Lafayette) took the mound in the 11th and would eventually earn the victory.
The contest remained knotted at three apiece until the bottom of the 11th, when C. Strain led off the inning with a single up the middle and subsequently moved to second on a Riley Smith (Bellevue, Wash.) sacrifice bunt. On a Johnathan Brooks (Huntington Beach) single to right, C. Strain fell rounding third, but was then able to score the game-winning run after a throwing error by Stewart. C. Strain went 2 for 2 in the contest with two walks and the deciding run.
"I slipped rounding third and then I saw the throw coming to third and the guy had to dive to get it," C. Strain said. "So, I said I was going to go for it, and it worked out. I just trusted my teammates to get the job done, and it really worked."
La Verne starting hurler Sean Beckman was tagged with the loss after surrendering seven hits, three walks and two earned runs and striking out three through 7.2 innings.
Game 2: La Verne 6, Occidental 5
The Tigers picked up right where they left off in Game 1, scoring one run in the bottom of the first and tacking on three more in the second in Game 2. Hong (2 for 3 with three runs), Allen (2 for 4 with two RBI and run) and Aldape (3 for 4 with three RBI) combined for seven of Oxy's ten hits and were responsible for all of the team's offensive production.
Aldape plated three of the four runs, driving in Hong — who had previously jumped on a fastball and deposited a leadoff double down the left field line — with a single to left in the first and both Allen and Hong with a single to center in the second. Aldape finished the day 5 for 8 with three RBI and one run scored.
Allen added even more accolades in the bottom of the fourth, scoring Hong on the double to left center that gave him a three-way share of the all-time Tigers' record at 37 two-baggers. Allen completed the day at 4 for 10 with four RBI and two runs scored and solidified Saturday as a day he will always remember in his Occidental career.
"The situation with Logan is really special," Occidental College head coach Luke Wetmore said. "He shows his dedication by showing up to play every day and on top of that he's just an excellent person. He proved today what you can accomplish with hard work and consistency over a four-year career."
Additionally, C. Strain performed well again for the Tigers, going 1 for 2 on the game with a run scored, and Chris Caldwell (Santa Clarita) went 2 for 2 at the plate with two first-pitch base knocks after entering the game in left field as a substitute in the sixth inning.
In conjunction with Tigers' dominant five-run lead, Oxy's pitching staff kept the Leopards off the scoreboard until the top of the seventh, with freshman southpaw C.J. Maruyama (Danville) getting the nod and giving up just two hits to go along with a pair of strikeouts through five innings on the bump.
Mitch Margolis (Calabasas) came out of the bullpen to throw a scoreless sixth inning before giving up a Stewart RBI-single that plated George Hanna in the top of the seventh. Margolis lasted two innings, allowing just three hits and the lone run. Trevor Lecka (Newbury Park) blanked the Leopards in the top of the eighth to send his squad into the ninth inning with a 5-1 lead.
The Tigers then used three arms in the final inning and watched their four-run lead slip away one hitter at a time, allowing the Leopards' offense to explode for five runs on four hits. Oxy's bats then failed to respond in the team's final chance at the plate, as they went 1-2-3 to surrender a heartbreaking loss.
After La Verne starting pitcher Phil Schick gave up five earned runs on six hits and three walks to the Tigers in 3.1 innings of work, relief pitcher Christian Grossi was able to earn the victory for the Leopards, coming out of the bullpen to strike out two and allow just four hits through 5.2 innings of scoreless baseball.
"With our league as competitive as it is, I think anyone is capable of beating anyone on any given day," Wetmore said. "We really have to buckle down this upcoming week against Pomona and try to gain back some momentum heading into the SCIAC playoffs."
Upcoming:
Oxy now sits in the fourth-and-final SCIAC playoff spot, tied with La Verne at 13-8 in conference, but holds the head-to-head tiebreaker advantage after winning this weekend's series. The Tigers travel to Pomona-Pitzer on Friday at 3 p.m. before returning home to host the Sagehens at Anderson Field in a doubleheader on Saturday at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. for their final scheduled SCIAC series of the year.
After next weekend, Occidental's conference opponents for the final four games of the regular season will be determined based on Oxy's standing. The scenarios for April 24-30 are as follows:
April 24 April 27 April 28 April 30
1st at 8th 9th at 4th 5th at 1st 5th at 9th
2nd at 9th 2nd at 4th 9th at 1st 6th at 7th
3rd at 7th 4th at 8th
7th at 5th 6th at 2nd
3rd at 5th 7th at 2nd
8th at 6th 4th at 3rd
1st at 6th 8th at 3rd