AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific extended its program-record season-opening win streak to 13 games with a 10-1, 5-3 doubleheader sweep over Concordia, using a five-homer barrage in the opening game before Sean Aspinall provided the crucial big fly with a two-out grand slam in the third inning of the nightcap to keep the early-season momentum rolling for NCAA Division II's top-ranked Cougars.

"You have to capitalize on every moment in these seven-inning games," Aspinall said. "Everything seems much bigger than in a nine-inning game, so when you have big moments, you just have to compete. Whenever those moments come up for me, I can reflect on those situations we've had earlier this year and just get ready to compete toe-to-toe with the other team."

Starting pitchers Kale Morton and Dillon Miyashiro each provided six strong innings before turning the games over to the bullpen. Morton scattered five hits and struck out five across six shutout frames, while Miyashiro struck out seven while holding Concordia to three runs on six hits in the second game.

Steven Garrett was 4-for-4 on the day, including his first home run of the season, which was the second of back-to-back solo home runs following Tim Lichty's third home run of the year. Aspinall went 1-for-5 in the opener before going 2-for-3 with the grand slam in the second game to give him a team-high six home runs on the season.

What's Next: Azusa Pacific wraps up its four-game PacWest series against Concordia with a single game on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Cougars are on the road for their next two PacWest series before returning home in mid-March to host Academy of Art.

How It Happened (Game 1): Azusa Pacific built an 8-0 lead through six innings before Concordia scored its first run of the game, and eight of the Cougars' 10 runs in the game came on home runs. Justin Gomez got the offense going with a first-inning solo shot, and Grant Gamble crushed a three-run home run to right-center in the second inning for a quick 4-0 lead.

Lichty and Garrett hit back-to-back solo shots to lead off the fourth inning before Garrett knocked in two more runs with a two-out bases-loaded single in the fifth inning. Concordia scored an unearned run on a seventh-inning sacrifice fly, but the Cougars answered with a two-run pinch-hit home run from Joe Quire Jr. to extend the lead to 10-1 in the seventh. Garrett was 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs, and Gomez reached safely in three of his four plate appearances, going 1-for-2 with a pair of walks.

How It Happened (Game 2): For the first time in the first three games of the series, Concordia scored first, cashing in a leadoff single followed by a walk with a run-scoring groundout to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the third inning. A two-out error in the bottom of the third kept the inning alive for Azusa Pacific's offense, which loaded the bases for Aspinall after Osvaldo Tovalin drew a two-out walk. Aspinall drove a 1-2 curveball down the right field line, where it hugged the inside of the right-field foul pole as it sailed over the fence for the dramatic grand slam.

"I wasn't seeing the ball well today and I was just trying to fight through it," Aspinall said. "I was looking for a fastball early in the count, but he hung me a curveball and I barely got enough of it to keep it fair and get it out."

Blair Collins hit a leadoff solo home run for Concordia in the fourth, pulling the Eagles within 4-2, but the Cougars answered again in the bottom of the inning. With runners at first and third, Casey Dykstra pulled up short on his steal attempt and got himself caught in an extended rundown which allowed Nick Estrella to score from third before Dykstra was tagged out to end the inning. That insurance run pushed the lead back to three, 5-2, before Davis Tominaga hit a one-out solo home run in the sixth to cut the margin to 5-3.

Concordia got its first two runners on base in the top of the seventh against John Szczesny, but a sacrifice bunt attempt was popped up in the air for Justin Gomez to make the first out, and Szczesny picked the lead runner off second base for the second out. Chris Martin singled to put runners at first and third, but Szczesny struck out Haloa Dudoit on three pitches to end the game and pick up his first save of the season.

Inside The Box Score: Gomez drew three walks on the day and has drawn a team-high 11 walks on the year… Gomez has reached base safely in all 13 games of the season… As a team, Azusa Pacific has hit 24 home runs, and Aspinall leads the way with team-highs of 6 home runs and 19 RBIs… After surrendering just three earned runs in 16 innings Friday, Cougar pitchers brought the team ERA below 3.00, where it now stands at 2.90… In 115 innings, Azusa Pacific has recorded 130 strikeouts and issued 30 walks.

Quotable

"We got great starting pitching, which always gives you a chance, and I thought we did a good job defensively for 16 innings today. I was really pleased with our at-bats, as our guys stayed on a good plan for 16 innings. Even though we didn't get the results we wanted all the time, our process was good. We treat every game of a doubleheader the same. Football players don't come in after one half to relax and feel like they won the game, so we approach the seven-inning game knowing its importance to a weekend series. The focus level has to remain high in that second game." -- Head Coach Paul Svagdis

"Sean (Aspinall) is one of our hardest workers and most coachable athletes. We're happy for him because of how hard he's worked and how much he cares. I'm excited for him but I'm not surprised, because I know he's capable. I think every guy in our dugout could be an All-American, and I really believe that. It's just a matter of opportunity, development, and mindset. Different guys have come up with big hits in different times on different weekends, and that's a testament to our depth and the teamwork these guys play with." – Svagdis

"We try to play one game at a time and one series at a time. We don't worry too much about what's going on outside; we just try to stay within ourselves for that one game at a time. We're still 0-0 in this series, and everything we've done in the past doesn't matter in that moment. It's not what we've done in the past or what we'll do in the future, it's what we do now that matters." – Sean Aspinall