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Azusa Pacific University Athletics

The Online Home of the Azusa Pacific Cougars
2
Azusa Pacific APU 31-15
4
Winner Biola BU 31-20
Azusa Pacific APU
31-15
2
Final
4
Biola BU
31-20
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Azusa Pacific APU 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 10 3
Biola BU 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 X 4 11 2

W: ALBERT (5-8) L: Stone, Matt (2-3) S: VOPINEK (16)

3
Azusa Pacific APU 31-16
7
Winner Biola BU 32-20
Azusa Pacific APU
31-16
3
Final
7
Biola BU
32-20
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
Azusa Pacific APU 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 3 5 2
Biola BU 0 3 3 1 0 0 X 7 15 1

W: GAUSEPOHL (4-0) L: Lebsock, Garrett (10-4)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Joe Reinsch

Cougars Get Double-Dipped

LA MIRADA, Calif. -- The NAIA's No. 14-ranked Azusa Pacific led unranked Biola for just half an inning, suffering a 4-2, 7-3 doubleheader sweep to the Eagles Saturday afternoon in La Mirada. The losses extended the Cougars' road losing streak to 7 games and wrapped up a 3-loss week that saw Azusa Pacific tumble from a second-place tie with Fresno Pacific all the way to fifth in the Golden State Athletic Conference standings.
 
Senior righthander Matt Stone delivered a solid start in the opener, providing 6 innings of 4-run, 8-hit ball, but the Cougar offense mustered just 2 runs on 10 hits. Junior catcher Ryan Delgado's 2-out home run in the top of the seventh inning pulled Azusa Pacific to within 3-2, and the Cougars loaded the bases with 2 outs an inning later.
 
Biola turned the game over to closer Billy Vopinek, a shoo-in for All-GSAC honors as a reliever and potentially the conference's pitcher of the year award. Sophomore Carlos Maddox turned on the first pitch he saw from Vopinek, driving a solid liner to the gap in left-center, but Eagles' leftfielder Chad Pace ran it down and came up with the catch for the third out of the inning. In the ninth, Vopinek mowed down Azusa Pacific's No. 2, 3 and 4 hitters on 12 pitches to notch his 16th save of the season.
 
Delgado and all 3 Cougar outfielders – seniors Stephen Gillette and Drew Evans along with sophomore Virgil Chavira – registered 2 hits each in the opener, but Delgado was the only one who converted RBI opportunities into runs on the scoreboard, as Azusa Pacific left 11 on base in the game. Behind the dish, Delgado gunned down 3-of-3 Biola baserunners trying to steal second base.
 
In the nightcap, Evans gave Azusa Pacific its only lead of the afternoon, smashing a 1-out solo home run to left in the top of the second inning off Biola starter Nate Coronado, who committed 2 balks and lasted just 2.2 innings for the Eagles. However, Biola was quick to answer, taking advantage of a 1-out error to score 3 runs in the bottom of the second before the Cougars turned an inning-ending double play.
 
In the third inning, Azusa Pacific put runners on second and third with no outs to bring up junior first baseman Brice Cutspec, who lifted a sacrifice fly to right to bring home senior third baseman Ryan Dowell. The RBI was Cutspec's 200th of his career, breaking Stephen Vogt's program career RBI record of 199.
 
The Cougars tied the game at 3-3 on Gillette's 2-out double to right-center, but Biola registered 3 more in the bottom of the third in a 5-hit inning that saw the Eagles tally 3 straight extra-base hits off senior starter Garrett Lebsock to take a 6-3 lead.
 
With the sweep, Azusa Pacific drops to 31-16 overall, 21-14 GSAC, while Biola improves to 32-20 overall, 22-13 GSAC. The Cougars host Cal State San Marcos in non-conference action Monday, April 27, at 5 p.m., then wrap up the regular season on the road with a 3 p.m. visit to Westmont on Tuesday, April 28. Azusa Pacific has clinched a GSAC Postseason Tournament bid and will be either the No. 4 or 5 seed in the 3-day, 5-team tournament that will be hosted by Point Loma Nazarene, the GSAC's regular-season champion, beginning May 5.
 
 
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