LOS ANGELES, Calif. (March 19, 2015) - The Rutgers University-Newark baseball team was swept in a doubleheader at Occidental College on Saturday in the first two games of a three-game set. Rutgers-Newark fell in the opener, 4-3, before dropping a marathon nightcap by a score of 3-2 in 11 innings.

Rutgers-Newark is now 5-7 on the season, while Oxy improves to 14-4. The Scarlet Raiders will look to salvage the series finale at 11 a.m. (PST), before heading back east Sunday night.

Senior Ryan MacFarlane and senior Billy Taylor had two hits in each game to lead the Scarlet Raider offense.

Despite suffering two losses, the Scarlet Raider pitching staff and defense held the Tigers under five runs in a game for the first time since February 20, nearly ending the Oxy win streak at 10 and 11 games in games 1 and 2, respectively.

Occidental 4, Rutgers-Newark 3 - Game 1
Sophomore catcher Justin Marks continued his scorching hot start to the season with a double to give the Scarlet Raiders a 2-0 lead in the third inning, driving in MacFarlane and Taylor.

The Tigers scored the next four runs in the game, notching single markers in the fourth and fifth and two in the seventh. Senior Cameron Dias came through with a sacrifice fly in the eighth, helping MacFarlane score his second run of the contest, but the Scarlet Raiders were unable to pull even, eventually falling by the 4-3 final.

Taylor and MacFarlane each picked up singles ahead of Marks' two-out, two-run double down the left field line in the third. MacFarlane stole second and moved to third on the throw in the eighth before coming in to score on the Dias sacrifice fly.

Junior Josh Cote singled to start the ninth, and moved into scoring position after a sacrifice bunt from sophomore Ross Halkias, but Newark could not get the hit it needed to pull even.

Sophomore Dominick Fazio was solid on the mound for R-N but took the loss, allowing three runs and six hits over six innings. He struck out three. Sophomore Anthony Perconte allowed a run in 1/3 of an inning and sophomore Dan Murphy pitched 1.2 scoreless innings of relief, striking out three of the six batters he faced.

Rutgers-Newark totaled eight hits and drew two walks. Taylor was 2-for-5 with a run scored, and MacFarlane was 2-for-4 with two runs scored, adding a stolen base for good measure. Oxy finished the opener with eight hits, getting multiple hit performances from Charlie Cacc and Reid Gibbs.

Occidental 3, Rutgers-Newark 2 (11 inn.) - Game 2
After falling behind 2-0 after two, Rutgers-Newark clawed back and tied the game at two apiece with single runs in the third and sixth innings.

The Raiders had a great chance to pull ahead in the top of the 11th after loading the bases with nobody out, but the hosts fought their way out of the jam and scored the winner in bottom half.

Sophomore Mike Zibrin started for Newark, throwing five innings and allowing two earned runs on five hits. The second year Raider struck out two and walked five. Newcomer Vincent Enea went the next five, taking the hard-luck loss and giving up just one hit and one run in five innings. He walked six and struck out two.

R-N had eight hits in the game, getting two from Taylor (2-for-5, SB), two from MacFarlane (2-for-4) and two from Marks (2-for-4, R). The Scarlet Raiders worked five walks as well, stranding eight on the base paths. Occidental had seven hits and 11 walks, but the Scarlet Raider staff stranded 13 Tiger baserunners.

After Oxy scored two runs on two hits, a hit batter and a walk in the second, Rutgers-Newark got one back in the third, cashing in a leadoff walk from sophomore Brian Boulineau thanks to a Taylor single and fielder's choice from senior Gerry Patrizio (RBI).

A Marks double started the sixth, and after Cote dropped down a sacrifice bunt to advance Marks to third, sophomore Danny Iannaccone brought him in with a sac fly.

After tying the score, Rutgers-Newark held Occidental at bay, working around single baserunners in the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th innings before allowing the winning run to cross in the 11th.

First pitch Sunday is set for 11 a.m. at Occidental.