AZUSA, Calif. – Casey O'Laughlin had a career day at the plate as the Cougars broke into the win column with a doubleheader sweep of Cal State Monterey Bay Friday afternoon at the Cougar Baseball Complex. The Cougars took the opening game 17-12 before shutting out the Otters in the nightcap, 10-0.
Game 1:Â Azusa Pacific 17, Cal State Monterey Bay 12
The Cougars burst onto the scoreboard immediately as six of the first seven batters reached base in the first inning. George Christison singled in Cade Marshman for the first run, then scored on a Spencer Rasmussen single. With one out and the bases loaded, O'Laughlin came up for the first time and uncorked a shot over the wall in right center for a grand slam and a 6-0 lead. Monterey Bay would close the gap to 6-4 by the bottom of the fourth, but the Cougars offense roared to life again, with Christison again picking up an RBI single, Rasmussen doubling in a pair, Will Stroud picking up an RBI hit of his own, and another O'Laughlin home run, again capping off a six-run outburst that put the Cougars up 12-4.
Those runs would be needed as the Otters staged a comeback of their own, putting up six runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh to tie the game at 12-12. In the bottom of the seventh, the Cougars put two on with two out for Tido Robles. The senior third baseman met the moment, launching a three-run homer to left center and putting the home team ahead for good. O'Laughlin would follow in the 8th with another two-run homer over the netting above the right-center fence, providing the final margin. Jake Vargas came out of the bullpen to strike out five batters over the final 1.2 innings to record his first save with the program, while Taylor Ouellette got the final two outs of the seventh to earn the victory in relief.
Game 2:Â Azusa Pacific 10, Cal State Monterey Bay 0
Isaac Mendez had the best outing of any starting pitcher in this series to date, throwing five shutout innings while allowing just two hits to pick up the victory. The Cougars scored in each of the first five innings. Their first three runs of the game were brought in without a hit, picking up a pair of bases-loaded walks plus a hit batter. In the third inning, the Cougars again loaded the bases for O'Laughlin, who sent the ball over the right field fence for his second grand slam of the day and fourth homer of the doubleheader. Azusa Pacific would tack on two more runs in the fourth and one in the fifth, while Michael Gill threw two innings in relief to complete the shutout.
By the Numbers: O'Laughlin has 5 home runs and 15 RBI in this series. O'Laughlin, Robles and Rasmussen each had 5 hits in the doubleheader, while Christison and Rasmussen both drove in 4 runs themselves. Game two was the first shutout the Cougars have turned in since a 9-0 victory over Hawai'i Pacific last April. The Cougar pitching staff has recorded 38 strikeouts through three games.
Up Next: The Cougars have taken two out of three and look to win the series outright when they face Cal State Monterey Bay one more time Saturday at 12:00 noon. The game can be livestreamed HERE.
