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Azusa Pacific University Athletics

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2
Azusa Pacific APU 28-13, 18-11 GSAC
3
Winner California Baptist CBU 26-17, 15-14 GSAC
Azusa Pacific APU
28-13, 18-11 GSAC
2
Final
3
California Baptist CBU
26-17, 15-14 GSAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Azusa Pacific APU 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 7 0
California Baptist CBU 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 X 3 7 1

W: SIEMENS, T. (6-4) L: Hodges, Garrett (2-2) S: ALLEN, C. (2)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Joe Reinsch

No Rest For The Road Weary

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- What a difference 2 weeks makes. Heading into the month of April, Azusa Pacific had won 26 of 33 games and had yet to suffer back-to-back defeats. Exactly 14 days after its season-long 8-game road trip began with a 2-1 loss on April 1 to Fresno Pacific, the NAIA's No. 14-ranked Cougars suffered another 1-run setback, 3-2, at California Baptist Wednesday afternoon to bring a nightmarish 2-week stretch to a close with its sixth defeat in 8 games.
 
The margin of defeat was one of several similarities between the first and last games of the road trip. Both games ended with double plays that erased potential tying runs on base with 1 out, and the Cougars' GSAC-leading offense squandered early scoring opportunities in both contests. In addition, strong outings from Azusa Pacific's pitching staff went to waste in both losses.
 
Senior shortstop Shaun Lane hit a 1-out infield single in the top of the ninth, and he represented the tying run on first base when senior designated hitter Eddie Crespo grounded into a double play to end the game.
 
The Cougars got a pair of runners into scoring position with 1 out in the top of the first when senior second baseman Ryan Dowell walked ahead of junior catcher Chris Feicht's single. Both advanced an extra base to second and third on a California Baptist error, but Lancers starting pitcher Taylor Siemens struck out Golden State Athletic Conference home run leader Brice Cutspec and senior centerfielder Drew Evans to get out of the bases-loaded first-inning jam.
 
One bright spot for Azusa Pacific was the long-awaited return to the mound for senior righthander Garrett Hodges, who opened his first pitching appearance since Feb. 19 with back-to-back strikeouts as he set the Lancers down in order in the bottom of the first inning. Hodges gave up consecutive 2-out base hits in the bottom of the second, surrendering 2 runs on Sharif Othman's double to center, and surrendered another run an inning later on Bobby Burk's 2-out infield single.
 
Junior righthander Garrett Granitz retired the only batter he faced to finish the third inning in relief of Hodges, and junior southpaw Peter Gehle gave up just 2 hits and struck out 4 over 4 scoreless innings. Senior righthander Garrett Lebsock fired a perfect eighth inning, dropping his ERA as a reliever this season to 0.59 in 7 relief appearances that span 15.1 innings.
 
Crespo led off the third inning with a triple down the right-field line, and he scored on Dowell's sacrifice fly to center to cut the California Baptist lead to 2-1. The Cougars' only other leadoff hit, a Sammy Soyring eighth-inning single through the left side, led to Azusa Pacific's only other score. Soyring reached second on a wild pitch, but Cutspec struck out with runners in scoring position for the second time in the game before Evans' GSAC-leading 18th double of the season scored Soyring to make it a 1-run game again by pulling the Cougars to within 3-2.
 
Cutspec was 1-for-4 with 3 strikeouts, and Ryan Delgado was 0-for-3 and was hit-by-pitch to snap his 22-game hitting streak. Lane was the only Cougar with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 in the game. California Baptist was led by 2-hit efforts from Burk and Levi Garrett, and Siemens struck out 6 while scattering 2 runs on 5 hits to pick up the win for the Lancers.
 
The loss is the fourth straight for Azusa Pacific, the Cougars' first 4-game skid since 2006, and it drops to 28-13 overall, 18-11 GSAC. California Baptist improves to 26-17 overall and 15-14 in conference play. The teams meet again Thursday at 3 p.m. in Azusa to wrap up the season series.
 
 
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