Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 AZUSA, Calif. – Rally was the word of the day.

Despite trailing in each game, Azusa Pacific swept a doubleheader from Fresno Pacific on Thursday afternoon. It was the eighth time this season the Cougars won both games of a twinbill.

The Cougars up their record to 31-18 while Fresno Pacific falls to 32-17.

Game One – Azusa Pacific 11, Fresno Pacific 4

The offense provided the late rally as starting pitcher Jacob Cage was steady throughout.

Steven Lozier put the Sunbirds on the scoreboard with a two-run homerun in the third inning. The senior deposited the first pitch he saw over the leftfield wall which also scored Baron Bower.

The Cougars cut their deficit in half in the fifth inning as Ryan Santana started the stanza with a double then scored on a wild pitch four pitches later. Fresno Pacific got their two-run edge back when Michael Tittle hit his second homerun of the series in the sixth inning. Trailing 3-1, Santana continued his scoring output with his second big fly of the set with a towering two-run shot to leftfield to tie the score. The homerun chased Fresno Pacific starting pitcher Drew Merlo. 

All the momentum for the final innings was put in the Cougars dugout after a four-run seventh inning. The frame started with a pitch-hit double from Michael Staudinger. After a sacrifice bunt by Cam Bennett, a single by Mitch Dergazarian scored Staudinger as Azusa Pacific registered their first lead of the game. The merry-go-round at the plate continued as a Daniel Martin base knock scored Dergazarian. Jordan Brower put a cherry-on-top of the four-run inning with a two-run homerun which gave the Cougars a 7-3 lead. 

Azusa Pacific continued to pile on the runs as they put together a four-spot in the eighth inning highlighted by a Dergazarian three-run shot with one-out. Brian Magana also drove home a run with a single which scored Santana.

Tittle hit his second homerun of the game to lead off the ninth inning to round out the scoring.

Cage put together the first nine-inning complete game of the Cougars season. The righthander allowed five hits, including just two after the fourth inning, while striking out eight during his 105-pitch effort. 

Santana completed the contest with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. The lefthander blasted his eighth homerun of the season to aid in his three-run, two-RBI afternoon. Brower went 2-for-4 and hit his sixth big fly of the season. 

Game Two – Azusa Pacific 6, Fresno Pacific 5 (8 Innings)

A pair of relievers started the game and they were the story early on. Azusa Pacific sent Jonny Reid to the hill for his 19 appearances in 2015 but his first start. The Sunbirds countered with Josh Medeles who was making his second start and 17th appearances on the hill in 2015. 

Through the first three innings of the seven-inning contest, Reid registered four punch outs while allowing just one hit. His counterpart struck out two and also allowed just a single base knock. 

In the fourth inning the game unraveled a bit for Reid as the lefthander allowed three hits and two runs. Mike Hostetler's double down the rightfield line scored Nick Pate then the next batter, John Koretoff, singled which brought Hostetler home. Reid got the final two outs with a strikeout and a fly ball. 

Medeles got into a bit of trouble in his own right as he Blake James led off the Cougars half of the frame with a double. However, he was able to strand him there with a strikeout, line drive out and groundout. He couldn't wiggle out of trouble in the fifth inning as Ryan Santana and Adrian Tovalin started the inning with back-to-back homeruns.

The game came down to the bullpens as each starter was done after five innings. Fresno Pacific started the sixth inning with a double by Nick Pate then an RBI single up the middle by Hostetler off Cougar reliever David May. The Sunbirds continued to click with a third straight hit, this time it was Koretoff doubling home Hostetler. The Sunbirds got their final run of the frame on a two-out single by Baron Bower which scored Koretoff as they went up 5-2. 

Azusa Pacific struck right back as Blake James led off their half of the inning with a triple and promptly scored as Daniel Martin hit his 13th homerun of the year with an opposite field shot three pitches later. The Sunbirds called on reliever Tanner Irwin and the righthander got the final three outs in order. 

Irwin couldn't wiggle out of a jam in the seventh. After issuing a leadoff walk to Tovalin, Brian Magana sacrificed pitch runner Christopher Tyler Neal to second base. Although pinch hitter Michael Staudinger struck out to bring the home team to the final out, Mitch Dergazarian drilled a double down the rightfield line to tie the score. The game went into extra innings when Blake James flew out to centerfield. 

After Fresno Pacific went down rather meekly in their half of the eighth inning, the Cougars sealed the win when Santana belted a double to the left centerfield gap which allowed Pablo O'Connor to score from first base with one-out. It was the Cougars second walk-off win of the season after beating Cal Poly Pomona in mid-February in extra innings.

Santana completed the game with two hits in four at-bats. He hit a homerun in each end of the doubleheader while collecting five total hits.