AZUSA, Calif. – Opportunities have presented themselves as the Cougars begin their regular season stretch run.
While the Cougars five-game winning streak was halted on Friday, they were able to pick-up a split in their PacWest doubleheader against Point Loma.
Entering Saturday's second doubleheader of the four-game set, Azusa Pacific carries a 16-15 overall record with a 12-6 mark in league games. Both teams qualified for the six-team NCAA Division II West Regional Championships last season as the Cougars are looking to make a statement both in the conference standings as well as regional playoff consideration.
Game One – Point Loma 9, Azusa Pacific 4
The Sea Lions used the long ball to take the opener. Point Loma hit four home runs as seven of their runs came off of a big fly.
Devin Carter paced the Point Loma offense with a 3-for-4 game with three runs scored while driving in five. He hit his fifth and sixth homeruns of the season.
In the second inning Carter hit a line drive solo home run that tucked-in just over the fence and right next to the foul pole. In the third frame an RBI groundout from Cam Bennett scored Mitch Dergazarian from third base as the Cougars tied the score at a run each. Point Loma hit their second solo shot of the game in the fourth inning as Ryan Garcia pulled 1-2 pitch over the rightfield wall.
In the sixth the Cougars defense thwarted a run scoring attempt as relay trio of Dergazarian, Michael Staudinger and Justin Gomez stop Matt Jervis from scoring after a Garcia single. However, the Sea Lions offense shrugged off the solid defense as base knocks by Carter and Colby Kaneshiro produced two more Point Loma runs. The visitors closed out a four-run frame with a Joseph Keller two-out long ball over the leftfield wall.
Azusa Pacific battled back with a three-hit half of their inning but could only get one runner across the plate on a Steven Garrett RBI single to left field. With a three-run seventh inning the Sea Lions all but put the game out of reach. The visitors scored three unearned runs when Carter hit his second long ball of the day with a three-run, two-out shot to give which gave his team a 9-3 lead.
Mychael Goudreau led off the Azusa Pacific portion of the inning with his first collegiate homerun. The Cougars couldn't mount a serious threat to their deficit in the final innings.
Dergazarian and Goudreau each had two hits with Dergazarian two of the Cougar runs.
Game Two – Azusa Pacific 12, Point Loma 4
The Cougars offense got into a good groove early and never looked back as the split the day's games.
Azusa Pacific scored in each of the first three innings; crossing the plate on multiple occasions in two of those frames.
Point Loma scored the first run of the game in their initial chance at the plate but the home team never trailed again. Azusa Pacific scored their first run on an Adrian Tovalin sacrifice fly then the flood gates opened. During the second and third frames, the Cougars scored eight times on eight hits. During those first three innings, both Cam Bennett and Mychael Goudreau each had two hits and two RBI while Michael Staudinger and Justin Gomez scored twice apiece.
Tovalin continued the strong offensive effort in the fifth inning with his PacWest leading 11th homerun of the season. The three-run shot with two runners on base increased the Cougars lead to 12-2.
Point Loma added a pair of run in the eighth inning but never mounted a serious rally against their large deficit.
Joe Huthsing earned the win on the mound for the Cougars. He upped his record to 6-1 while striking out a career best nine batters in seven innings of work.
At the dish Bennett recorded a team best three hits. He also drove-in three runs while crossing the plate twice.
