Box Score WALNUT, Calif. – In a season of transition, Azusa Pacific battled all year through adversity and setback. Monday's elimination game at the NCAA Division II West Regional provided another opportunity to battle.
However, UC San Diego did just enough early and staved off a rally late to post a 5-3 victory to advance to the Championship game.
Azusa Pacific's first season as NCAA members ends with a 34-20 record. UC San Diego plays Cal Poly Pomona for the region's championship.
"UC San Diego is a great team and they did a great job today," said Azusa Pacific head coach Paul Svagdis. "They kept us off balance and they used their pitching staff well today. We just came up a hit short.
"Every year as a person of faith the season changes and transforms me. What these eight seniors did is they taught me the value of playing as a team and playing for each other. We weren't perfect all the time but these guys took real joy in playing for each other.
The collegiate careers of Jordan Brower, Jacob Cage Josh Grajeda, Blake James, Luis Martinez, Christopher Tyler Neal, Ryan Santana and Jonathan Velasco came to a close on Monday afternoon.
UC San Diego starting hurler Alon Leichman did enough to keep the Cougars off balance in the middle innings after giving up a run early. In his first start in 16 days the righthander went 5.2 innings, struck out four and gave-up five hits to earn the victory. Trevor Scott pitched the final three innings in just his second relief appearances of the season to earn the save.
The Cougars offense was paced, once again, by the duo of Martin and Brower. They each went 2-for-4 as they finished the season with batting averages of .381 and .405 respectively.
Blake James put the Cougars on top in the first inning when he deposited the first pitch he saw over the wall in leftfield. The Tritons, serving as the home team, got a pair of runs in the second inning. Tyler Howsley worked a bases loaded walk for the first run. That free base chased Cougar start pitcher Wyatt Wood from the game after issuing four walks in his first start since April 25. UC San Diego's final run of the frame came when Brandon Shirley singled home Justin Flatt. Reliever Michael Fairchild got the final two outs with the base loaded to limit the damage.
Azusa Pacific threatened in the third inning as they put runners on first and third with one-out but a double play ended the scoring opportunity.
In the fifth inning the Tritons upped their lead as Michael Mann hit a one-out single which scored Brandon Shirley. Looking to chip into their 3-1 deficit the Cougars had runners on the corners in the sixth inning with two outs but reliever Chad Rieser got Ryan Santana swinging on a 2-2 pitch and Azusa Pacific was down to their final nine outs.
A Flatt solo homerun to rightfield made the score 4-1 in the sixth inning to give the fifth seeded Tritons some breathing room. The Cougars couldn't get a runner on base in the seventh and eighth innings in attempting to make a late rally.
The Tritons made the Azusa Pacific comeback effort more difficult when Flatt scored an unearned run on a Shirley sacrifice fly in the eighth inning.
Azusa Pacific send the trio of Daniel Martin, Jordan Brower and Santana to plate in the final inning. Martin led off with a double then Brower singled and the Cougars were in a solid position for a comeback. After a fielder's choice ground out by Santana scored Martin, Pablo O'Connor singled to left center. Michael Staudinger came to the plate with one-out and represented the tying run. The lefthander battled before being punched out a 3-2 pitch that just clipped the corner of home plate. During Adrian Tovalin's at-bat, Santana scored on a wild pitch and moved pinch runner Cam Bennett to second base. With two-outs Tovalin worked the court full before ending the game on a groundout to third baseman.
