IRVINE, Calif. — Azusa Pacific baseball lost in its second matchup of the season with the Concordia Eagles 14-7. The two teams will face each other again in nonconference play, two more times this season.
How it Happened:
The Cougars jumped out front in the first inning after Osvaldo Tovalin's two-out RBI double knocked in Aaron Roose who reached on a walk and was sacrificed to second. This was Tovalin's first run batted in and third double of the 2020 season.
With the early 1-0 lead, starting pitcher Declan Kearney struggled and didn't make it out of the first inning as four runs crossed the plate for the Eagles (three earned).
The Cougars responded quickly in the second inning with an RBI single from Aaron Roose and a sacrifice fly from Griffen Herrera that gave Concordia a slight lead at 4-3 going to the bottom half of the second inning.
The Eagles proceeded to increase their lead. The Cougars pitching and defense struggled in the second inning altogether. After allowing six runs (four earned), the Cougars found themselves in an early 10-3 hole.
Azusa Pacific was able to score one run in each of the next two innings as senior Joseph Kim picked up his first RBI of the season on a run-scoring single in the third making it 10-4. Then, Tovalin launched his first home run of the season to cut the lead in half through the first three and a half innings. Tovalin recorded his first multi-hit game of the season, going 3-for-5 with two RBI on the day.
The Eagles continued their outpour of runs, scoring two more in the fourth. Concordia scored a total of 13 runs through the first four innings and led 13-5.
Seniors Nick Estrella and Eli Ledesma continued to swing the bat well. Estrella was a stand-out, going 4-for-5 with an RBI. Estrella is batting a team-high .571, has hit a team-high two home runs and is tied for the team lead in RBI (8), and hits (8). Ledesma singled in a run in his first (and only) at-bat putting his season average at .375. All six of Ledesma's hits on the season are singles.
After the two RBI from the seniors, the Cougars trailed 13-7 in the sixth inning and eventually went on to lose 14-7 in a nine-inning game. Two relief pitchers shined in the game including sophomore David Wylie, who tossed 1.1 scoreless innings. The other was senior Spiro Valasakos threw 3.0 innings allowing one run and striking out two.
The Cougars will be back in action on the road this Thursday, February 13 when they travel to Utah. Azusa Pacific will take on former conference foe, Dixie State in the first four-game series of the season.
