AZUSA, Calif. — With a pair of wins this afternoon over Concordia, Azusa Pacific took three of four this weekend to finish off the season series with a 6-1 record versus the Eagles. The Cougars' offense jumped on their opponents early and often winning game one 9-6, before sweeping the doubleheader with an 8-1 in the nightcap. The two wins improve their PacWest record to 14-6, where the Cougars currently sit one game behind Point Loma (15-5). 

Three different Cougars hit two home runs on the day as Tido Robles hit a pair in game one while Spencer Rasmussen and Will Stroud each tallied one in both games. Aaron Roose extended his on-base streak to 17 straight games and hit a grand slam in game two to break the game open. Starting pitchers David Hays and Isaac Mendez each picked up wins in dominant showing while Declan Kearney's superb season continues as he racked up his fifth save of the year.

How it Happened (Game 1): Azusa Pacific broke open the scoring in the second frame of game one as Jeffrey Castillo's two-RBI double was just inches away from a three-run homer to left field. 

The Cougars continued to apply the pressure in the third as Rasmussen's first of the day was a three-run bomb down the right-field line that increased the lead to 5-0. 

More of the same in the fourth inning as the switch-hitting Stroud led things off with a solo shot to right field from the left side of the batter's box. Robles would follow Stroud's lead with a line drive two-run shot that almost put a hole in the nets in left field making it 8-0 in favor of the Cougars.

Hays, featuring a perfect 4-0 record coming into the game, dealt out of trouble in each of the first four innings stranding a pair of runners in each. He struck out seven of his eight through the first four before finally giving up a run on a solo homer by Michael Dixon in the fifth. On pitch number 101, Hays induced a ground ball double play to end his outing and get him through five strong innings. 

Concordia got another run back in the sixth before Robles' second homer of the game to left field gave Azusa Pacific a 9-2 lead. Robles leads the team with 12 home runs and leads the conference with 44 RBI on the season.

The Eagles would tally four in the top of the eighth inning to get back within three runs but Kearney came in and shut the door in the ninth. He needed just three batters and 12 pitches to record his team-high fifth save of the season which lowered his season ERA to 1.00. The Cougars picked up the victory by a score of 9-6.

How it Happened (Game 2): The nightcap was a similar story, Azusa Pacific jumped out in front in the second. After a Tyus Santa Anna RBI single opened the scoring, Roose hit his second career grand slam to blow the game open. It was Roose's fourth home run of the season, and it extended his reached base streak to 17.

In the third, Rasmussen hit his second of the day to right field, a solo shot that gave Azusa Pacific a 6-0 lead. Later in the frame, Stroud would get ahold of another one to put the Cougars' home run total up to seven on the day. His two-run homer to right field put Azusa Pacific 8-0 for the second straight game.

Mendez retired the first seven batters he faced which included a pair of punchouts. The Eagles finally got a hit in the third inning but Mendez induced a 4-6-3 double play to end the top of the frame. He retired the side in the fourth inning, to secure facing the minimum amount of batters through those first four frames. Concordia would score on an error in the fifth before Mendez would tally his fourth strikeout in inning number six. He would be pulled after six strong innings without allowing an earned run, he's now allowed less than a run in each of his previous five starts. 

Korey Shepard tossed a scoreless seventh frame to secure the 8-1 win.

By the Numbers: The Cougars hit seven home runs on the day, four in the first and three more in the second game. Rasmussen joined Robles with double-digit home runs on the year with a pair on the day, Azusa Pacific had six record double-digit homers a season ago. Mendez's season ERA of 2.49 is the best among the Cougars' starting pitchers and is fourth-best in the PacWest.

Up Next: Azusa Pacific will host Hawai'i Pacific in a PacWest four-game series next Friday, April 22nd, and Saturday, April 23rd. Friday's doubleheader is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. while Saturday's will start at 12:00 p.m. followed by a seven-inning affair around 3:00 p.m. Follow along with live stats here or stream each game for free here!

POSTGAME INTERVIEW: Tido Robles & David Hays