Tough Start for Tigers Softball

LOS ANGELES, Calif. (Feb. 10, 2008) – Things looked promising in game one as the Tigers and Oaks went into extra innings, but Menlo College came out on top 7-2, adding a 16-8 victory in game two, handing Occidental a pair of losses on opening weekend at Bell Field.

Menlo, an NAIA school, got on the board first with a run in the top of the third. Oxy quickly responded in the bottom frame with two runs on five consecutive hits. The Oaks tied things up in the fifth. They had a chance to end the game in the seventh with the bases loaded and two outs, but Oxy’s Teresa Barbant got the third out on a pop-up to second base, sending the game into extras.

Menlo batted around in the inning, scoring five runs, four unearned runs. Oxy was retired in order to end the game.

Occidental came back strong in the second game, scoring three runs. Hillary Armstrong singled with one out and Olympia Powell walked. Sophomore All-SCIAC Second Team catcher Alyssa Escalante hit a two RBI double to right before scoring on a single by Barbant.

The Oaks came back in the second with five runs as they connected for six hits in the inning, including a two RBI triple by Susanne Thomsen.

Trailing 6-3 in the third, Escalante doubled for the second time in the game followed by a homerun off the bat of Barbant. Alyssa Smith reached on an error and scored three batters later when freshman shortstop Gabriela Chavez singled to left.

Oxy took a 7-6 lead in the fourth when Escalante again singled, and pinch runner Kathleen Luevano scored.

In the fifth and sixth innings Menlo sent 18 batters to the plate, scoring eight runs on six hits, four walks and an error. They added two more in the seventh.

Rebecca Nashleanas led off the seventh with a triple and scored, but it was too little too late for the Tigers as they fell 16-8 in the second game of the day.

Offensively Escalante was 5-8 with three doubles, three RBIs and eight total bases. Barbant and Chavez each collected four hits, including a double, and scored a run. Barbant drove in three and Chavez had one RBI.

Chaves singled in her first collegiate at-bat while Armstrong, Powell and Malia Tayabas-Kim also got a hit in her Oxy debut.

Occidental will return to the diamond on Saturday, Feb. 16 when they host Cal State San Marcos for two beginning at 12:00 p.m. on Bell Field.