HILO, Hawai'i -- Azusa Pacific baseball wrapped up its Hawai'i trip with a split of the four-game conference series against Hawai'i Hilo, Friday night. After rain delayed Wednesday's game into Thursday, the Cougars and Vulcans ended up playing 32 innings in the final two days of the series that saw each team win two games apiece.

The Vulcans rallied from behind winning the first game on Thursday by a score of 8-5 before the Cougars battled back in the nightcap winning 4-0 behind the stellar play of two-way player Nick Estrella.

In Friday's doubleheader, Hawai'i Hilo scored to take the lead in the bottom of the 8th to win 3-2 before Azusa Pacific won the final game of the series 9-1. The Cougars are now 5-3 in conference play and return home with a 10-10 overall record.

How it Happened (Game 1, March 4-5):

The game begun on Wednesday, March 4 in Hawai'i as the Cougars struck first in the top of the third inning as four players recorded RBI. Junior infielder Osvaldo Tovalin opened the scoring with a two-strike RBI single to right field to give Azusa Pacific the 1-0 lead. The inning continued for the Cougars as they took advantage of free bases with the bases juiced as two RBI walks and one RBI hit by pitch increased their lead to 4-0. 

The Cougars allowed two runs in the bottom half of the third before rain postponed the game in the bottom of the fourth inning. 

After the restart, it was Azusa Pacific that scored first in the sixth inning with an RBI infield single from redshirt junior infielder Joseph Kim that scored senior Nick Estrella from third to extend the lead to 5-2.

The Cougars were outdone the rest of the way however, as Hawai'i Hilo scored six unanswered runs to secure the win. It started in the third inning as the Vulcans scored three (two earned) in the bottom of the frame to tie up the ballgame at 5-5 against senior pitcher Joe Wills who toed the rubber after the restart. Wills struggled for the first time this season as he allowed the Vulcans to tie and eventually take the lead in the game recording his first loss of the season. He tossed 3.2 innings in relief and gave up five runs while just three of them were earned.

Hawai'i Hilo would score the game's final three runs in the seventh and eighth innings to secure the victory 8-5 in the opening game of the series that spanned over the course of two days.

How it Happened (Game 2, March 5): 

Game two was all about one dude, Nick Estrella. The two-way player and senior captain proved his worth on the mound and in the batter's box with his first collegiate complete-game shutout while adding a two-run home run in the game.

Estrella's pitching performance was the best of his career as he retired 27 of the 32 Vulcan batters he faced while throwing an efficient 95 pitches in the nine total frames. He struck out a season-high nine in the game and didn't allow a single free baserunner in the outing for just the second time in his career (vs. Hawai'i Hilo 3/23/19). Estrella closed the game on a stretch that saw him retire 15 of the final 16 hitters of the game, during that stretch he got 12 consecutive outs from the fifth inning through the eighth.

The Cougars gave Estrella some run support in the fifth inning with a two-RBI double to left field from junior catcher Aaron Roose who was 2-for-4 in the game.

In the bottom half of the frame, Estrella dealt out of the only jam he got himself into. After giving up back-to-back singles to start off the inning, a sacrifice bunt moved the runners into scoring position. Estrella then proceeded to catch one Vulcan looking on strikes before a ground out ended the threat with the Cougars still leading 2-0.

Later in the game, still the same story. Estrella goes yard for a two-run home run in the eighth inning. His career-high and team-high fifth trot around the bases gave himself some insurance capping off the 4-0 victory in style.

How it Happened (Game 3, March 6): 

The Cougars gave themselves the early lead for the third consecutive game in the series. In the top of the third, redshirt sophomore infielder Brett Soria singled, stole second and came around to score on freshman infielder Jeffery Castillo's RBI single to break the deadlock. Castillo would score later in the inning on an error to increase Azusa Pacific's lead to 2-0.

The Cougars offense fell stagnant the rest of the way, recording just one hit and tallying two total baserunners in the final six frames. On the mound, freshman Isaac Mendez tossed the first four innings scoreless allowing just four hits for Azusa Pacific for his second scoreless outing this season. 

Hawai'i Hilo tied the ballgame in the bottom of the sixth. After an error scored the first run of the inning, senior reliever Jon Keane's wild pitch scored another to tie the game.

The Vulcans then would take the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning as a run would score from second on a sharp ground out up the middle for the second out of the inning. That run was the difference in the game as Hawai'i Hilo closed it out, winning the first game of the doubleheader 3-2.

How it Happened (Game 4, March 6): 

For the fourth straight game the Cougars grabbed the lead first, this time beginning in the fourth inning. Castillo started the scoring with an RBI single to right field which scored Kim from third. Then, with two-outs, junior outfielder Casey Dykstra delivered a two-RBI single to right field giving Azusa Pacific the early 3-0 advantage. 

Redshirt sophomore pitcher Brendan Dixon received his first start of his collegiate career for the Cougars. Dixon pitched a season-high 6.1 innings in the outing while allowing just one run and striking out five. Dixon recorded his first win of the season while throwing a season-high 74 pitches.

After Hawai'i Hilo cut the deficit to 3-1, the Cougars exploded for six runs in the top of the seventh inning to finish the trip on a high note. The Cougars received help from the Vulcans as a wild pitch and an error scored the first two in the inning before sophomore infielder Tido Robles singled in a run to make it 6-1. Then, with the bases loaded and two outs Roose took advantage by doubling down the left field line to clear the bases and send the Cougars home happy.

The final two outs were finished off by freshman reliever Korey Shepard as the Cougars won by a final score of 9-1. With the victory the Cougars officially split the four-game conference series with Hawai'i Hilo and move to 5-3 in PacWest play, while staying at a .500 overall record this season (10-10). 

Next Up: 

Azusa Pacific vs. Concordia at the Cougar Baseball Complex on Tuesday, March 10th starting at 6 p.m. This will be the third time the two teams have played against each other in non-conference action. Stay tuned for details.