AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific rolled to a 14-4 win in the opening game of Friday's doubleheader against Holy Names, but the No. 15-ranked Cougars needed some late fireworks to rally for a 5-1 win over the Hawks to complete the four-game series sweep.
 
Griffen Herrera hit 2 home runs in the opener, driving in 4 of the Cougars' 14 runs as he and the Azusa Pacific senior class played their final regular-season home games on Senior Day. Aaron Roose added a clutch game-tying home run in the second game, erasing a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning of the 7-inning nightcap. It was the fourth home run of the series for Roose, and Spencer Rasmussen added a pinch-hit three-run blast to extend the lead to 5-1.

With the sweep, Azusa Pacific improved to 29-8 and finished the regular season with a 6-game winning streak. Following the doubleheader, the Cougars honored a 15-member senior class which will continue its season by hosting the PacWest AQ Pod Series against Academy of Art and Hawaii Hilo from May 20-22.
 
"It's so great to be able to end on a win when you're going to honor your seniors after the game," Azusa Pacific head coach Paul Svagdis said. "It's a large group of senior players and four-year guys, and I couldn't be prouder of a group of guys. Every year I say the same thing, but I think there's been a culture and a legacy created from our past leaders, and we're seeing the culture continue to manifest itself. These kids have been awesome through COVID-19, playing through a lot of restrictions, and they love each other, take care of each other, and respect each other, so this was a really great day to be able to honor them."
 
How It Happened (Game 1): Griffen Herrera went 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs, hitting a pair of home runs to lead the Cougars to a 14-run, 16-hit performance in the opener. Osvaldo Tovalin added 4 hits, finishing 4-for-5 with a walk.
 
Three other Cougars added multi-hit performances, as Casey Dykstra and Brett Soria added 3 hits each while Spencer Rasmussen went 2-for-4. Azusa Pacific was also active on the bases, registering 9 stolen bases in the contest.
 
Omar Lopez opened the scoring with a second-inning solo home run, his eighth of the season, and Soria added an RBI triple later in the frame to give the Cougars an early 2-0 lead. Myles Coston answered with a 2-run home run, tying the game at 2-2 in the top of the third inning. Lopez broke the tie for good with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third, and Casey Dykstra's RBI single extended the lead to 4-3.
 
After a Morgan McIntosh solo home run in the fifth inning, Azusa Pacific scored the next 10 runs with 2 runs in the fifth, 2 in the seventh, and a 6-run eighth inning. Herrera's seventh-inning solo home run extended the lead to 7-3, and his 3-run home run in the eighth made it 11-3.
 
David Hays struck out 6 in 3.2 innings of relief, allowing just one run on the McIntosh solo home run. Hays picked up the win, his first of the season, and Korey Shepard added 2 scoreless innings with 4 strikeouts while Tripp Aversa finished off the game with another strikeout in the ninth as Cougar pitchers racked up 13 strikeouts in the opener.
 
How It Happened (Game 2): Azusa Pacific scored 33 runs through the first 3 games of the 4-game series, but Holy Names ace Noah Barros kept the Cougars scoreless through the first 5 innings of a pitcher's duel with Azusa Pacific freshman Isaac Mendez, who surrendered an unearned run on 4 hits with 8 strikeouts through 5 innings.
 
However, Aaron Roose tied the game with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, and the Cougars took the lead when Osvaldo Tovalin scored from third on a wild pitch with Casey Dykstra at the plate. Nick Estrella drew a two-out walk before Spencer Rasmussen belted the first pitch he saw as a pinch hitter facing Barros for a 5-1 lead.
 
Hayden Merda picked up in the sixth where Mendez left off, firing two perfect innings of relief to pick up the win. Roose finished the game 2-for-3 to lead the Azusa Pacific offense.
 
Up Next: Azusa Pacific hosts all 6 games of the PacWest AQ Pod Series from May 20-22, playing Academy of Art and Hawaii Hilo for a pair of games each. The Cougars' first game of the 3-day series is a Thursday, May 20 matchup at noon against Academy of Art.