AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific might not have led for most of the evening, but the Cougars took the lead when it mattered most, as Carson Collett delivered a walk-off RBI single to lift the Cougars to a 7-6 come-from-behind win over visiting Cal State Dominguez Hills. Azusa Pacific is now 3-2 on the new season.

How It Happened: A patient Toros lineup was able to put a four spot on the board in the first inning, with the first three batters each drawing a walk to give cleanup hitter Vincent Temesvary the bases loaded with no outs. Temesvary took advantage of the early opportunity and hit a grand slam to right center to put the Toros up 4-0. Cal State Dominguez Hills would add another run in the top of the second, by way of a solo home run.

Tido Robles would get the Cougars on the scoreboard in the bottom of the third, delivering a two-RBI single with one out to make it 5-2. The Toros would respond with another solo home run in the top of the fifth to make it 6-2, and that turned out to be the final run the visitors would bring home for the remainder of the evening.

Starting in the fifth inning, Azusa Pacific began to slowly work its way back into the ballgame, as the Cougar bullpen had five different relievers combine to throw six scoreless innings, while the Cougar bats delivered at least one run in four of the final six innings. 

In the bottom of the fifth, the Cougars cut the deficit down to 6-4 with a two run inning. The first run of the inning came off of the bat of the recently named West Region Player of the Week and the nation's leading home run hitter, as Casey O'Laughlin launched a solo shot to right center field for his sixth home run in just five games to make it 6-3. A few batters later, George Christison was able to bring in Robles on a two-out RBI infield single.

Omar Lopez would get the Cougars within a run at 6-5 in the bottom of the sixth, as the shortstop hit a solo home run to left field to leadoff the inning. After a scoreless inning of work by Grayson Gifford in the top of the seventh kept the game at 6-5, Will Stroud would deliver the game-tying RBI on a single to center field that plated Robles.

After neither team could bring a run across in the eighth or ninth, the game headed to extra innings.

The play of the night came in the top of the 10th, with two outs and runners on first and second. Eric Smelko was at the plate for the Torros, and the outfielder hit a ball into left field, which led to the Torros' Emilio Barrera, who was on second, being waved on home as the go-ahead run. Christison, who was in left field for the Cougars, cleanly fielded the ball and fired a perfect throw straight to the plate, where Collett, playing catcher, was able to apply the tag for the third out and keep the game tied at 6-6. 

In the bottom of the tenth, Stroud was able to draw a leadoff walk, and he advance to second on a balk. With one out, Collet stepped into the box with Stroud still on second. Collett would prove to be clutch, sending a ball to center field that allowed Stroud to come around and score for the game-winning run.

Cougar Standouts: Joey Frey (2.0 IP), Grayson Gifford (1.0 IP), Michael Gill (1.0 IP), Jake Vargas (1.0 IP) and Andrew White (1.0 IP) combined for six innings of scoreless relief, with White earning the victory. Gill, who came on for Gifford in the eighth, struck out all three hitters he faced in the frame. Four Cougars turned in multi-hit performances, led by three hits for Robles, who also finished with two RBI. Spencer Rasmussen, Brett Soria and Stroud each had two hits apiece. 

By the Numbers: Offensively, the Cougars finished 14-for-39 at the plate (.359), which is the fourth-consecutive game in which Azusa Pacific has hit for a team average of .350 or higher.

Up Next: After starting the season with five home games, a big test lies ahead for the Cougars, as they head to No. 11 Colorado Mesa for a four-game series starting this Thursday, February 9. The teams will play a single game Thursday, a double-header Friday, and one final game on Saturday. The series will be the first games of the season for Colorado Mesa.