AZUSA, Calif. – More success in the win column.
Azusa Pacific swept a doubleheader from CCAA foe San Francisco State to run their winning streak to seven straight on Thursday.
Game One – Azusa Pacific 4, San Francisco State 0
Michael Fairchild's effort on the mound was the best a Cougar hurler has thrown in the early going.
Azusa Pacific broke open the scoreless game in the fourth inning when Michael Staudinger's RBI single to rightfield drove home Justin Gomez – who reach two batters earlier on a double.
Fairchild allowed his first hit with one-out in the sixth inning when leadoff hitter Sam Schmidt knocked a 1-1 offering into rightfield. He was later erased after being caught trying to steal second base. After six innings, Fairchild had just four batters reach base. In the bottom half of the frame, Adrian Tovalin and Pablo O'Connor gave the Cougars a 3-0 cushion with back-to-back homeruns to start the stanza.
The game's final run crossed the plate in the seventh inning when Sean Aspinall scored on a Tovalin fielder's choice.
Fairchild's gem was the highlight for the Cougars. The senior went 8.0 inning and gave-up just that one hit while striking out seven. The righthander threw 101 pitches in earning his second win of the season.
The shutout is the second of the season for the Cougars after winning their season opener at Cal State Monterey Bay 8-0. Fairchild earned the save in that game after throwing the last four innings.
Game Two – Azusa Pacific 9, San Francisco State 3
Adrian Tovalin enjoyed a fine closed to his solid day at the plate.
The Cougar bats jumped on San Francisco State starting pitcher Dillon Houser early. Tovalin started the scoring with a deep drive over the left centerfield wall in the opening frame for a 1-0 lead. Azusa Pacific added three more runs the following inning. A Mychael Goudreau triple scored two then he crossed the plate himself on a Pablo O'Connor single up the middle.
For the first time in the doubleheader, the Gators put two runners in scoring position. With one out in the third inning they scored their first runs when Sam Schmidt drove home the pair with a base knock through the middle. Azusa Pacific got those runs back, plus an additional one, at their next opportunity. Nick Estrella hit an RBI triple and Sean Aspinall brought him home with a sacrifice fly. Goudreau wrapped up the scoring with a run scoring single which scored Michael Staudinger.
San Francisco State mounted a serious scoring threat in the fifth stanza. The visitors loaded the bases with no one out but they were only able to get an RBI base knock from Sam Schmidt. Cougar starting pitcher Billy Oxford struck out three straight to end the Gators opportunity.
Tovalin's torrid doubleheader continued in the sixth inning when he blasted an opposite field two-run homerun to give the Cougars an insurmountable 9-3 lead.
