SEASIDE, Calif. — Azusa Pacific baseball lost the first game of its four-game road series against Cal State Monterey Bay Thursday night. The Cougars and Otters were tied for the majority of the game before the Otters won in the bottom of the ninth inning.
How it Happened:
Azusa Pacific scored first to start the game. Freshman shortstop Jeffery Castillo led off with a double before moving to third on a sac bunt. Senior outfielder Griffen Herrera then grounded out to short, scoring Castillo to give the Cougars a 1-0 lead.
Walks hurt starting pitcher Nick Estrella in the first inning. After back-to-back walks to start the inning, a one-out single knotted the game at 1-1 before Estrella worked out of the jam with back-to-back fly outs.
The Otters took the lead in the second inning with back-to-back singles after another runner reached on a walk with one-out.
The Cougars would respond in the next half inning though as redshirt sophomore Brett Soria led off the third with a triple to right center. Azusa Pacific would need clutch two-out hitting though, to tie the game. After driving in the first run, Herrera would double to right field, driving in his second run and tying the game 2-2.
The Cougars then turned to the bullpen. Left-handed relief pitcher Shane Cronin made his collegiate debut being the first out of the pen. He would leave after giving up two hits and getting two outs. Senior Joe Wills then came in for APU tossing 3.1 hitless innings striking out two.
Left-handed pitcher Brendan Dixon threw a scoreless seventh inning for the Cougars before he was relieved by senior Jon Keane in the eighth. Keane inherited runners on first and second before surrendering a bunt single to load the bases. With the bases juiced and no outs, he then proceeded to strike out the side, preventing the Otters from taking the lead late in the game.
APU's offense was stagnant from the third inning on, recording just two hits and stranding four runners on. With the score still locked in a 2-2 tie, Keane allowed a one-out double that scored a runner from first to end the game in the bottom of the ninth, giving the Otters their first win of the season.
The Cougars are now 3-2 on the season and will look to bounce back tomorrow night on the road still against Cal State Monterey Bay. Game two of the four-game series will start around 5pm Friday, February 7th in Seaside, Calif.
