AZUSA, Calif. — No. 8 ranked Azusa Pacific baseball suffered a pair of losses to No. 4 Colorado Mesa Friday afternoon dropping the first, 20-10 before losing in the nightcap, 7-1. This is the first time the Cougars will lose a regular season series at the Cougar Baseball Complex since the 2018 season.

Tido Robles led the Cougars offensively with a pair of solo home runs in game one, while George Christison started for the first time in his collegiate career and went 2-for-3 with a trio of RBI.

How It Happened (Game 1): The Mavericks struck first with a two-run home run by 2021 NCAA Division II National Player of the Year Haydn McGeary, his second of the series, in the top of the first off of starting pitcher David Hays.

After Colorado Mesa scratched across another, the Cougars battled back to take the lead in the bottom of the second. A pair of walks and a hit by pitch loaded the bases before George Christison and Aaron Roose were also each hit by a pitch to score the first two Cougar runs. Trailing 3-2 with two outs and the bases juiced, Omar Lopez doubled down the left field line to clear the bases and give Azusa Pacific a 5-3 lead.

Pitching with the lead for the first time, Hays pitched a clean third frame before allowing just a solo home run in the fourth to keept the Cougars ahead 5-4. Robles got the run back though for Azusa Pacific as his towering shot to left field cleared the netting for his first homer of the season and keep the Cougars ahead by two runs.

In the next inning however, the Mavericks would tie the game after a walk with the bases loaded brought Azusa Pacific's lead to just one. With the bases still loaded and two outs, Lopez made a diving stop deep in the hole at short but his throw short-hopped first baseman, Spencer Rasmussen, who couldn't come up with the ball cleanly which allowed Colorado Mesa to score the tying run from third to make it 6-6.

The Cougars left Lopez stranded at second in the bottom half of the inning after he led off the inning with a double. The Mavericks continued to use the long ball as a pair of homers in the sixth blew the game open. Caleb Farmer's third homer in the first two games of the series was a two-run shot that gave his team  an 8-6 lead before Harrison Rodgers hit his fifth home run in just the second game of the series, this one a three-run shot that put Colorado Mesa up 11-6.

Trailing 12-6, Robles hit his second solo shot to left field to cut the deficit to five in the sixth before his RBI single in the eighth made it 13-8. Christison then doubled down the left field line to score a pair to get the Cougars within striking distance.

But, the Mavericks bats unloaded for seven runs in the top of the ninth to leave no doubt, helping them secure a 20-10 win.

How it Happened (Game 2): Once again Colorado Mesa jumped in front in the first, this time a two-out RBI single brought home the first run of the game. Starting pitcher Steven Silvas settled down, just like his first outing this season, tossing three scoreless frames which included striking out the side in the second and leaving three stranded in the third.

But, the Mavericks got to him in the fifth which began with a solo home run by Caleb Farmer, his fourth of the series. Colorado Mesa then capitalized on a Brett Soria error which scored a trio of runs before an RBI bunt brought the advantage to 6-0.

The Cougars scratched one across on a Daniel Genna RBI groundout after back-to-back singles started the inning. The Cougars would get two quality innings from Declan Kearney to end the game, Kearney struck out the side in the sixth before getting his fourth strikeout to cap off his outing.

By the Numbers: For the second consecutive day, neither team recorded more hits than runs as the Cougars were hurt in the opening game by the 12 walks allowed. The Cougars walked six more in the nightcap as just five of the seven runs scored were earned. Azusa Pacific left eight runners on across the two games while Mesa left 21 on. 

Up Next: The two teams will finish off their four-game set Saturday, February 12, 2022 at the Cougar Baseball Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. If you are unable to make it out to the Cougar Baseball Complex, you can stream the games for free on the Azusa Pacific Athletics Network, and follow along with live stats.