ALAMEDA, Calif. - Azusa Pacific opened its second Bay Area trip of the year with a doubleheader sweep over Holy Names. The pair of victories came with some late inning magic as Aaron Roose collected the game-tying double in the first game and Tido Robles hitting the go-ahead home run in the second game.

In game one, the Cougars rallied in the ninth with three runs to win 6-4 before winning game two in the 11th inning on Robles' solo home run. Azusa Pacific is now over .500 for the first time this season as they've won six in a row and are 10-2 on the road.

How it Happened (Game 1) - In the first inning, Robles doubled to left center before Casey O'Laughlin drove him in with an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead. The Cougars took a 2-0 lead courtesy of a triple by Roose that scored Spencer Rasmussen in the second. 

Holy Names responded in third against starting pitcher A.J. Woodall, scoring three unanswered runs to take a 3-2 lead. The Hawks added another insurance run in the fourth inning on an error before Azusa Pacific responded with another run of their own in the sixth with an RBI single from Casey Dykstra to make it 4-3. Woodall tossed seven innings and received the no decision as he departed with Azusa Pacific down by one.

The top of the ninth inning proved key for the Cougars, as Dykstra led off the inning with a hit by pitch before Roose doubled down the left field line to tie the game at 4-4. George Christison then doubled to score Roose and an RBI groundout by O'Laughlin gave the Cougars a 6-4 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th. Declan Kearney came in on relief for the Cougars and provided three quick outs, ending the game and giving Kearney his first win of the season. 

How it Happened (Game 2) - In game two, Azusa Pacific opened the scoring again in the first, with Roose leading off the game with a double and Robles scoring him on a sacrifice fly. The Cougars collected another run in the top of the fourth inning, when Cade Marshman singled up the middle to score Will Stroud from second. 

In the top of the fifth, Robles came through with another RBI, scoring Roose on a single to left field to give Azusa Pacific a 3-0 lead.

Starting pitcher David Hays tossed five six shutout innings before the Cougars gave the Hawks a pair of runs on two errors. Hays finished the outing tossing 6.1 innings with a season-high 10 strikeouts and a season-low one walk.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Hawks tied the game at 3-3 with a single up the middle, and in the bottom of the ninth, Holy Names threatened with a runner on third, but Hayden Merda was able to work his way out of the jam with a strikeout and ground out to shortstop. Merda worked 3.2 innings in relief allowing just one earned run and striking out five.

In the top of the eleventh, Robles led off the inning and drove the first pitch he saw over the wall in center field to give the Cougars the lead. This was all Azusa Pacific needed, as Kearney came on in relief to close out the game, earning a strikeout and inducing two groundouts to hold the Hawks at bay. 

By the Numbers - Roose and Robles each had extra base hits in both games, and Robles now leads the Cougars with 25 hits on the season and six home runs. Kearney earned two wins tonight and improved his ERA to 1.64, with 19 strikeouts over 11 innings. The doubleheader sweep improves Azusa Pacific's all time record over Holy Names to 20-6. 

Up Next - The Cougars will finish their Bay Area trip with another doubleheader against Holy Names tomorrow. First pitch of game one will be at 11:00 AM at College of Alameda Baseball Field. Click HERE to follow.