LOS ANGELES, CA – University of Rochester baseball wrapped up a series win to start their spring break trip against Occidental College on Saturday at Anderson Baseball Field, defeating the Tigers, 5-3, in extras in game one of the doubleheader, and dropping game two, 10-3, before finishing off Friday evening's suspended game with an 8-7 victory in 12.
 
Following the series win, Rochester moves to 3-2 on the year, while Occidental falls to 4-12.
 
GAME 1: Rochester 5, Occidental 3 (10 inn.)
With Trevor Van Allen toeing the rubber for UR in game one, the Yellowjackets jumped in front early, taking a 2-0 in the top of the first. Joseph Rende gave Rochester its first base runner with a one-out single but was cut down at second on Colby Cruser's fielder's choice.
 
Cruser then came all the way around to score on Avera's fielder's choice and a Tigers' error, before Josh Leadem knocked another run home with his RBI single, giving the 'Jackets an early 2-0 lead.
 
Jeffery Cambra would answer for the Tigers with a solo shot in the bottom of the frame, but Van Allen struck out the side, working around Cambra's homer and a one-out walk to keep the 'Jackets in front.
 
Van Allen stranded two more in the second, striking out Lou Martineau looking to the end threat, before settling down a bit in the third, using a double play to work a 1-2-3 frame.
 
The 'Jackets however, left runners on in each of the second, third, fourth and fifth innings, and after UR went in order in the sixth, Occidental tied things up in the bottom of the frame.
 
Jonathan Marshall led off the inning with a double to right-center, taking third on Garrett Palme's flyout. UR then made a call to the bullpen, bringing in Mark Aaronson with one out and the game-tying run just 90 feet away, but a quick wild pitch brought the run home and evened the score at 2-all.
 
Aaronson though got the next two batters and then stranded a pair in the seventh to keep things knotted at two.
 
However, the Tigers would again get to the Rochester bullpen in the bottom of the eighth, pushing a run across on Sancho Llamas's RBI single to take a 4-3 lead.
 
But the 'Jackets answered right back, and down to their final out in the top of the ninth, evened the score at 3-3. Alexander Gonzalo led off the ninth with a single down the left-field line, moving to second on Robert Constantine's sacrifice bunt. And after Dan Tirabassi flew out, moving Gonzalo to third, Aaron Whitley stroked a clutch, two-out double down the left-field line, tying the score at three.
 
Rende flew out to end the frame with the score still even at three, but after Sammy Rosenfield worked around a two-out walk to send the game into extras, UR got right back to it in the top of the 10th.
 
Cruser led off the inning and reached on an error, and Colton Avera followed with a single to right, putting two on with nobody out. A groundout pushed the Cruser and Avera to second and third for John Moses, who walked to load the bases for Quincy Jaksch.
 
Jaksch's RBI single scored Cruser to give Rochester a 4-3 lead, and a batter later, Tirabassi made it 5-3, drawing a two-out, RBI walk.
 
And with the 'Jackets now leading 5-3, Thomas Karpishin made quick work of the Tigers in the tenth, striking out a pair before getting Matthew DiCicco to fly out to center to finish off the 5-3, extra-inning victory.
 
Rosenfield (1-1) earned the win allowing one run on three hits, walking one over 2.0 innings pitched, while Karpishin nailed down the save, his first of the year, striking out two over an inning pitched.
 
Wilson Schwegler (0-1) took the loss for Occidental, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits over 3.0 innings pitched.
 
Van Allen made the start for UR, allowing one run on four hits, walking four and striking out six over 4.1 innings pitched.
 
Offensively, Avera went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored, while four different 'Jackets picked up RBI.
 
GAME 2: Occidental 10, Rochester 3
Rochester again jumped out to an early lead on the Tigers, with Cruser's two-run, first-inning blast giving UR a 2-0 advantage. After Rende reached out an error against Jack Winterbauer, Cruser launched the 2-2 pitch to deep left-center, giving Rochester the lead.
 
Dillon Bevan got the start for UR, and though Martineau laced a leadoff single to center, Bevan got Nolan Upchurch to ground into a double play to end the first, and worked around a one-out walk in the second before Rochester added to its lead in the third.
 
The Yellowjackets loaded the bases on a pair of singles by Jaksch and Rende, as well as Whitley's hit-by-pitch, and while a 1-2-3 double play prevented the Yellowjackets from putting up a crooked number in the hitting, Avera next reached on an error, bringing home Whitley from third to make it a 3-0 lead.
 
But Occidental got the bats going in the bottom of the frame, scoring their first run on AJ Naha's RBI single, before adding another on Martineau's fielder's choice to cut Rochester's lead to just 3-2.
 
And after Winterbauer stranded a leadoff base runner for the Yellowjackets, Occidental took advantage of a fielding miscue by the 'Jackets in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead on Nicholas Gonzalez' two-run single.
 
Rochester would threaten to tie things up in the top of the sixth, loading the bases as Occidental went to the bullpen, but Jon Thoren got a fly out and strikeout to get out of the jam unscathed, and then the Tigers scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth to put the game away, working around Cruser's leadoff single in the top of the seventh to finish off the 10-3 victory.
 
Winterbauer (1-3) earned the win for Occidental, allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits, striking out two over 5.0 innings pitched. Bevan (0-1) took the loss for UR, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits, striking out three over 4.0 innings pitched.
 
Cruser led the 'Jackets at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run, run scored and two RBI, while Jaksch went 3-for-3 with three singles.
 
Rochester next heads to Whittier, CA, continuing their spring break trip with a three-game set against Whittier College, beginning with a single game against the Poets on Tuesday, March 7 at 1:00 p.m. PT.