AZUSA, Calif. -- Billy Gwinn's single to left field scored Nick Mercado to break a 1-1 third-inning tie and spark a 3-run inning, which sent Azusa Pacific to a 10-5 win over Westmont in the nightcap to complete a sweep of a GSAC doubleheader Saturday in Azusa.
The Cougars also won the opener 15-4 when the game was called while the Cougars were still batting in the eighth inning, because of a GSAC doubleheader rule that invokes a 10-run mercy rule after 7 innings.
Mercado and Marcos drew back-to-back walks from Westmont starter Brandon Campos to lead off the third. Gwinn, who finished 3-for-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBIs, then laced a 2-2 pitch into left field to score Mercado, who scored 3 times in the game, and break the tie. After Matt Dzama loaded the bases with a sharp liner to left-center, Mark Streelman drove in Marcos with a sacrifice line-out to deep left field to make it 3-1, and Gwinn scored on a throwing error during a stolen base to make it 4-1.
Josh Breckley started and pitched admirably for the Cougars. Through his first 6 innings, the freshman lefty allowed just 3 hits and 1 run, but he ran out of gas in the seventh and paid the price. Fortunately, the Cougars scored 6 more runs over their final 3 at-bats to take a 10-1 lead and give Breckley a huge cushion to work with. He made just 1 mistake, giving up a grand slam to Cody Gore in the seventh after surrendering back-to-back walks and a single to Micah Gallagher.
Breckley moved to 2-0 on the season, allowing 5 runs in 6 innings, while striking out 4. Andy Alstot finished the seventh to preserve the win.
In the opener, the Cougars took an 8-0 lead in the first 2 innings. They had just 5 hits, 4 of them singles, but they took advantage of 5 walks, a pair of hit batters and a Westmont error.
Marcos finished 2-for-4 with 3 runs and 2 RBIs both of them coming off a second inning double that hit off the top of the left center field fence that gave the Cougars a 3-0 lead.
Brad McKinney was rolling right along and appeared to be headed towards his third straight dominating performance, but the Warriors got to him for 4 runs off 6 straight hits, including an RBI double by Johnnie Machado in the fourth to cut the deficit in half.
The Cougars got 2 of them back in their next at-bat, scoring a pair of unearned runs to take a 10-4 lead. Robbie Lindsey finished just 1-for-4, but his lone hit was an RBI-double in the seventh that drove in Marcos to make it 11-4. The Cougars then put the game away with 4 more runs in the bottom of the eighth.
Shaun Buetner finished 3-for-5 with a pair of runs and RBIs, driving in Cameron Radonich with a single in the eighth. Dzama closed out the game with a 2-RBI single to center that scored both Beutner and Marcos.
Kelly Strickland relieved McKinney and worked the final 4 scoreless innings, scattering 5 hits and striking out 2 to move to 2-4 on the year. Twice he worked out of jams, including a bases-loaded quandary in the eighth.
With the sweep, Azusa Pacific jumps to 13-12 overall, 8-7 GSAC. Westmont drops to 4-19, 0-12.
