AZUSA, Calif. -- Sophomore rightfielder Virgil Chavira's 2-run walkoff home run lifted the NAIA's No. 8-ranked Azusa Pacific to an 11-3, 7-6 doubleheader sweep over Westmont Saturday afternoon.
Chavira, who moved up to the No. 3 spot in the lineup for the first time in his career, stepped to the plate with a runner on second with 1 out in the bottom of the seventh, and he knocked the first pitch he saw from Westmont lefty Dan Price over the right-field fence to erase the 6-5 deficit and give the Cougars the sweep they needed to hold its spot in a 3-way tie atop the Golden State Athletic Conference standings.
"I tried not to think about the situation too much," Chavira said. "Once I stepped into the box, the first thought that ran through my mind was obviously to hit a home run, but I wasn't going to try to hit a bomb. I just wanted to hit something hard."
He went 2-for-4 at the plate in both games of the doubleheader, and he registered a pair of outfield assists in the defensive highlight reel compiled by the Cougar outfield in the top of the fourth of the opener. Westmont catcher Sam Wiley led off the frame with a liner into the right-center gap, and Chavira came up firing to cut Wiley down at second base. Four pitches later, senior centerfielder Drew Evans robbed Mike Zettl of a hit on a laser to shallow center field, and Chavira fired to first base on Mark Magdaleno's rocket through the right side, cutting down Magdaleno for the unconventional 1-2-3 inning.
"Having a good defense is huge because it allows you (as a pitcher) to attack hitters," said Game 1 starter Ben Jones, who posted the win after scattering 3 runs on 4 hits and striking out 4. "You don't care if they hit the ball, because you know the defense is going to pick you up. It definitely gives a boost to your confidence."
Chavira's 1-out double down the left-field line in the bottom of the first helped spark a 2-run first, and his 1-out single through the left side got the Cougars rolling to a 4-run third inning.
"We're trying to find a cohesive lineup, and we're trying to find a combination that can get something going early in the game," Cougar head coach Paul Svagdis said. "We put him up in the 3 hole today, and he did a really nice job."
Senior leftfielder Stephen Gillette slammed his 10th home run of the season in the third, a 3-run shot that was part of a 4-for-5 opening-game performance. Junior third baseman Ryan Delgado was 3-for-5 and added his ninth homer of the campaign, a 2-run sixth-inning shot that pushed the Cougar lead to 9-3.
Chavira was 1 of 5 Cougars to record multiple hits in the nightcap, and his walkoff shot to right was the game's only home run. After Westmont scored 6 runs on 13 hits in the first 2 innings off the Azusa Pacific pitching staff to take a 6-5 lead, Evans and Gillette led off the sixth with back-to-back singles. Price, the Westmont southpaw, struck out junior catcher Chris Feicht for the first out, and his defense turned a momentum-killing double play to send the game into the final frame with Westmont holding a 6-5 advantage.
Senior designated hitter Eddie Crespo, who went 2-for-3 in the leadoff spot in the nightcap, drew a leadoff walk to start the bottom of the seventh, and senior second baseman Ryan Dowell moved him into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.
"Coach told me not to change anything being in that spot, to just stay comfortable and keep having good at-bats," Chavira said. "I went up there thinking I didn't have to do anything spectacular, just as long as what I do is going to be better for the team with me there."
With the sweep, Azusa Pacific improves to 19-3 overall, 10-2 GSAC, while Westmont drops to 3-19 overall, 2-12 GSAC. The 1-run nightcap defeat was the Warriors' 11th loss by a margin of 3 or fewer runs.
"They're a very good team," Svagdis said. "They're very physical, and we were very fortunate to get out of this day with 2 wins. You've got to tip your hat to what they're doing over there, and I know it's going to be even tougher when we have to go play them at their place."
The Cougars are now at the halfway point of a season-long 8-game homestand, which continues with a pair of 3 p.m. contests on Tuesday against Trinity International and Wednesday in GSAC action against California Baptist.
