AZUSA, Calif. – Baseball is a wacky game and that was proved once again on Thursday evening.
As Azusa Pacific head coach Paul Svagdis has said on a handful of occasion that baseball can be wacky, and with Thursday evening's 3-2 walk-off win against Northwest Nazarene the Cougars will take it.
Looking to rebound after a rough series last weekend against Cal State Monterey Bay, Azusa Pacific started this four-game set in proper fashion.
Pablo O'Connor put the Cougars on the scoreboard in the second inning when he deposited the first pitch he saw over the leftfield wall. In the fourth inning the Crusaders tied the score when Colton McCluskey singled to rightfield with two outs which scored Ryan Johnson with an unearned run.
The visitors took the lead in the fifth inning when Tyler Davis took a 1-2 pitch deep into the night over the leftfield wall. Northwest Nazarene kept that 2-1 lead fairly comfortably until the seventh inning. Justin Gomez led off the inning with a double to deep rightfield. After advancing to third base on a wild pitch, Troy Baird popped a single into centerfield to knot the score at 2-2.
Neither team was able to get a runner into scoring position until the extra innings. During the late inning stretch, the Cougar pitchers retired the last 10 Northwest Nazarene hitters before heading to extra innings.
The Cougars ended the drama in their first opportunity during extra innings. After Cam Bennett led off the frame with a single, Mitch Dergazarian laced a double to put runners on second and third with no outs. After an intentional walk to Adrian Tovalin, on the very next pitch Bennett scored on a wild pitch that hit the back stop.
Bennett and Gomez each had two-hit night to pace the Cougars offense
Jonny Reid got a tough luck no decision for the Cougars. The lefthander went seven innings where he struck out a career high 10 batters while giving up just five hits in his 108-pitch evening. Dillon Miyashiro got the win after two innings of relief.
Northwest Nazarene starting pitcher was solid as well. Ross Clevenger allowed six hits in 6.2 innings of work while striking out five. Ryan Norborg got the loss. The teams play a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 3 p.m.
