AZUSA, Calif. -- Sophomore third baseman Osvaldo Tovalin led No. 23-ranked Azusa Pacific to a 6-2 win Friday over Hawai'i Pacific with a three-for-three, four-RBI performance to follow Thursday's 5-for-5 effort.
Tovalin has now hit safely in nine consecutive at-bats, a streak which includes the first two games of this week's series against Hawai'i Pacific, as well as a single in his final at-bat of last week's 2-1 win over Point Loma. During his last nine at-bats, Tovalin is 9-for-9 with three home runs, a double, and nine RBIs, lifting his season batting average to .462.
Junior righthander James Acuña picked up the win, scattering two runs (one earned) on seven hits with three strikeouts while the Cougar defense ended three of Acuña's innings with a double play, including a spectacular diving stop and flip by second baseman Joe Quire Jr. to start a double play which got the Cougars out of a bases-loaded, one-out situation in the fifth inning. An inning later, Griffen Herrera threw out a runner at the plate to end the sixth.
With the win, Azusa Pacific improves to 14-9 overall and 4-2 in PacWest play, while Hawai'i Pacific falls to 16-12 overall, 3-9 PacWest. The four-game PacWest series concludes with a doubleheader Saturday at noon.
How It Happened: Hawai'i Pacific produced a promising start, as the first two HPU batters reached on a walk and a single to put runners at first and third with no outs. However, Acuña struck out the Sharks' No. 3 hitter Jake Selco before Christian Kapeliela grounded out to shortstop Mychael Goudreau for the first of the Cougars' four double plays in the game.
Cole Kleszcz led off the bottom of the first with a double into the left-field gap, and he scored easily on Tovalin's first hit of the day, an RBI single through the right side. Two innings later, Jaxon Hammond led off the third with an infield single in his first collegiate at-bat, and he scored when Tovalin smacked a home run to right to give the Cougars a 3-1 lead.
Freshman first baseman Tido Robles hit an opposite-field home run to right-center in the fourth inning for his first collegiate home run, extending the lead to 4-1 before HPU got a run back in the fateful fifth inning. The Sharks produced an unearned run when the leadoff batter reached on an error and later scored, and HPU loaded the bases with one out when Sean Coffey hit a sharp grounder up the middle. Quire chased it down and made a diving stop behind second base, flipping the ball from the ground with his glove to Goudreau at second for the double-play turn.
Tovalin added another home run, a solo shot to right in the bottom of the fifth, and his second home run of the game gave the Cougars a 5-2 lead. He was intentionally walked in his final plate appearance with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
Tripp Aversa finished off the win with three shutout frames, striking out four in his three innings of work to claim his first save of the season.
Â
