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Azusa Pacific University Athletics

The Online Home of the Azusa Pacific Cougars
1
Azusa Pacific APU 26-8, 16-7 GSAC
2
Winner Fresno Pacific FPU 22-10, 16-9 GSAC
Azusa Pacific APU
26-8, 16-7 GSAC
1
Final
2
Fresno Pacific FPU
22-10, 16-9 GSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Azusa Pacific APU 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 9 1
Fresno Pacific FPU 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 X 2 5 0

W: SCHELLENBERG (5-1) L: Stone, Matt (2-1)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Joe Reinsch

Stone Stopped by Schell

FRESNO, Calif. -- Senior righthander Matt Stone turned in one of his best starts of the season, striking out 8 Fresno Pacific batters in 7 innings to kick off Azusa Pacific's season-long 7-game road swing. However, Kelyn Schellenberg one-upped Stone, scattering 1 run on 9 Cougar hits for the complete-game win as Azusa Pacific dropped its first game of the extended road trip, 2-1, Wednesday evening in Fresno.
 
Although the heart of the Cougar lineup produced to the tune of 7 hits in 14 at-bats from the numbers 4 through 7 spots in the lineup, the rest of the batting order was a combined 2-for-17, going 0-for-15 after the first inning. Azusa Pacific scored the game's first run after stringing together 3 consecutive singles to lead off the second inning, but Schellenberg got out of the jam without allowing another past second base. In fact, junior first baseman Brice Cutspec was the only Cougar to reach second base the rest of the game, grounding a 1-out double down the chalk of the first-base line in the top of the sixth inning.
 
Azusa Pacific got back-to-back singles in the top of the first, but a strikeout and an inning-ending double play killed the early momentum. The Cougars also hit into inning-ending double plays in the seventh and ninth innings, as Schellenberg successfully worked out of every remaining threat from Azusa Pacific, the Golden State Athletic Conference's team batting leader.
 
Fresno Pacific evened the game in the bottom of the third, when Alec Mehrten led off the frame with a triple to right-center. Sophomore rightfielder Virgil Chavira nearly caught the sinking liner into the gap, but the ball slipped out of his control during his diving roll. Sunbirds second baseman Karlan Andrews knocked an RBI single to center, tying the game at 1-1. Andrews was gunned down trying to steal second base, and Stone struck out the next batter before getting out of the third with an inning-ending lineout to shortstop.
 
Just an inning later, Stone made one of his only mistakes of the game, issuing a 2-out walk to Jacob Burns. The next batter hit a soft roller to senior shortstop Shaun Lane, whose throw to first took a tricky hop on Cutspec at first base to extend the inning on the throwing error. Anthony Norwood cashed in on the opportunity, driving in the game-winning run with a single up the middle before Stone struck out Mehrten to get out of the inning.
 
Cutspec, Chavira, and senior centerfielder Drew Evans each collected 2 hits for Azusa Pacific, and junior righthander Ryan Rosenhahn fired a perfect eighth inning of relief for the Cougars.
 
With the defeat, Azusa Pacific has lost 2 in a row, its first losing streak of the season, and the Cougars drop to 26-8 overall, 16-7 GSAC to give Point Loma Nazarene a 2-game cushion over Azusa Pacific for the GSAC lead. Fresno Pacific improves to 22-10 overall, 16-9 GSAC, and the Sunbirds take over sole possession of fourth place in the conference standings. The teams wrap up the season series Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. in Fresno.
 
 
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