CLAREMONT — The Occidental baseball team lost a must-win game at Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3-1 on Tuesday, ending its season one win short of the SCIAC Postseason tournament.
Oxy finishes the year tied for fifth at 14-14 in SCIAC play and 18-21 overall.
La Verne, one of the teams tied with the Tigers at the beginning of the day, beat Caltech 21-2 to jump one game ahead and secure the No. 4 seed in the conference tournament.
Devon DeRaad, who came into the game 10 for 24 with a pair of home runs and 10 RBIs in his last six games, lined a double down the right-field line in the top of the first, bringing home Oxy's only run.
Nolan Watson, Oxy's freshman starter who's had some impressive games this season, got into trouble in the third. After Ray Hurwitz led off the inning with a single, Watson plunked Scott Witte, putting runners on first and second with just one out. Then Michael Gose drove in one run with a double to left field, Mackenzie Menthen followed his lead with an RBI-single to center field that Alec Strain dove for but couldn't come up with, and Michael Erb drove in the third with a double to right.
The Tigers went fairly quietly after that, recording just three more hits the rest of the game.
They did have chances though.
With two outs in the top of the fifth, Oxy got runners to second and third after Strain singled to center and CMS third baseman Ray Hurwitz overthrew first on a bunt by Charlie Caccamo. In the next at bat, DeRaad made solid contact, but popped a fly ball to right center to end the inning.
Lazy fly balls to the CMS outfielders was the theme offensively. One of them, off the bat of Scott Ericksen, gave the Tigers some life with two outs in the eighth. Ericksen's shallow blooper was dropped by Gose in center, allowing Ericksen to reach second. But Jonathon Wong flied out to left to end the inning.
Riley Smith led off the ninth with a walk, but that was the only base runner Oxy had in the inning.
CMS' Samuel Woodson earned the win, giving up just the one run in seven innings of work. Chad Hadzinsky earned the save.
Caccamo was 2 for 4 for the Tigers.
Oxy's David Feasler pitched two scoreless innings in relief. Watson struck out six in six innings.
Become a fan of Oxy Athletics on Facebook: Occidental College Tigers
Follow Oxy Athletics on Twitter: @OxyAthletics
Watch Oxy Athletics videos on YouTube: Oxy Athletics