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Azusa Pacific University Athletics

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6
Concordia (CA) CUI 13-14, 9-13 GSAC
11
Winner Azusa Pacific APU 26-6, 16-5 GSAC
Concordia (CA) CUI
13-14, 9-13 GSAC
6
Final
11
Azusa Pacific APU
26-6, 16-5 GSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Concordia (CA) CUI 0 0 0 2 1 1 2 0 0 6 14 2
Azusa Pacific APU 1 1 0 0 0 3 2 4 X 11 14 3

W: Jones, Ben (4-0) L: ORLICK (4-4)

14
Winner Concordia (CA) CUI 14-14, 10-13 GSAC
4
Azusa Pacific APU 26-7, 16-6 GSAC
Winner
Concordia (CA) CUI
14-14, 10-13 GSAC
14
Final
4
Azusa Pacific APU
26-7, 16-6 GSAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Concordia (CA) CUI 1 0 0 7 0 6 0 14 12 0
Azusa Pacific APU 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 4 8 3

W: BARRETT (1-1) L: Lebsock, Garrett (8-2)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Joe Reinsch

Sweeps Keep Slipping Away

AZUSA, Calif. -- For the second straight week, the NAIA's No. 6-ranked Azusa Pacific moved into a short-lived tie for the Golden State Athletic Conference lead with an opening-game win before falling back to a game off the pace after a deflating nightcap defeat. The Cougars' 11-6 opening-game win wrapped up shortly before Biola finished off a 9-7 opening-game win over GSAC leader Point Loma Nazarene, but the Cougars suffered a 14-4 defeat while Point Loma Nazarene rallied for the doubleheader split to maintain its perch atop the conference standings.
 
Junior first baseman Brice Cutspec hit his 20th home run of the season, a 2-run shot that gave Azusa Pacific the lead for good at 7-6 after giving up the lead twice in the opener. Cutspec was 3-for-5 in the opener, and he was 1 of 5 Cougars with multiple hits in the contest. Sophomore rightfielder Virgil Chavira was 2-for-5 with a double and a triple, and he added 2 more doubles in the nightcap.
 
However, the same top 6 hitters in the Azusa Pacific lineup that went 13-for-25 in the opener combined for just 5 hits in 19 at-bats in the nightcap. Concordia raced to an 8-2 lead behind a 7-run fourth inning, and the Eagles put the game out of reach with 6 more in the top of the sixth that pushed the lead to 14-2. Concordia's Michael Gonzalez led off the nightcap with a solo home run on the very first pitch of the game, and he added a 3-run shot to right field that capped the Eagles' 7-run explosion in the fourth inning.
 
In the opener, Chavira led off the second with a triple, and when the ball was misplayed deep in center field, he came all the way around to give Azusa Pacific a 2-0 lead. Concordia tied the game with a 2-run fourth and scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 4-2 lead. Cutspec's double in the bottom of the sixth scored senior second baseman Ryan Dowell from second, and junior third baseman Ryan Delgado's sacrifice fly to deep center field tied the game at 4-4. Another Concordia error resulted in a run that gave the Cougars a 5-4 lead.
 
After Concordia regained the lead with 2 runs in the seventh inning, Dowell led off the bottom of the seventh with a single through the left side, and Cutspec's home run over the left-field fence to swing the lead back to Azusa Pacific at 7-6. Senior designated hitter Eddie Crespo hit a 2-run home run that sparked a 4-run eighth for the final 11-6 margin.
 
In the nightcap, Cutspec and Delgado led off the bottom of the second with back-to-back base hits, and both baserunners scored in the inning to give Azusa Pacific a 2-1 lead that held up until the fourth inning. Concordia sent 10 batters to the plate in the fourth, with Gonzalez's second home run of the game giving the Eagles an 8-2 lead. Concordia rightfielder Zach Barger cut down a Cougar baserunner at the plate to end the fourth inning, and the Cougars left the bases loaded after back-to-back walks to lead off the bottom of the fifth inning.
 
Concordia sent 9 more batters to the plate in the sixth inning, and Kyle Konicek's 3-run home run to left capped the 6-run frame that gave the Eagles a commanding 14-2 lead. Azusa Pacific scored a pair of runs on 3 sixth-inning doubles to trim the final margin to 14-4.
 
With the split, Azusa Pacific is now 26-7 overall, 16-6 GSAC, and the Cougars remain 1 game behind GSAC leader Point Loma Nazarene. The Cougars play 11 of their final 14 conference games on the road, starting with 7 straight away from home over the next 2 weeks. The Cougars visit Fresno Pacific for a pair of weekday games Wednesday and Thursday next week. Concordia is now 14-14 overall, 10-13 GSAC.
 
 
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