FRESNO, Calif. - No. 2 seed Azusa Pacific opened play at the PacWest Tournament on Wednesday evening, and the Cougars earned a 6-4 win over the host of the tournament, No. 3 seed Fresno Pacific. All six of the Cougars' runs were scored via home runs with two outs.

How It Happened: Despite the game being played on the Sunbirds' field, Azusa Pacific was the home team on the scoreboard on Wednesday. The Cougars wasted no time jumping out to the lead, as Omar Lopez delivered the first long ball of the contest in the bottom of the first inning. With two away and a 1-2 count, Lopez took the fourth pitch of his at-bat and planted it beyond the left field wall for a solo shot to put the Cougars up 1-0. For Lopez, who was just named an All-PacWest First Team selection for the second time in his career, it was his 12th homer of the campaign. 

In the bottom of the third, Spencer Rasmussen would add to Azusa Pacific's lead. With two outs and Will Stroud on third (reached by way of a double), Rasmussen drove a 2-2 pitch over the fence in right center for a two-run jack to put the Cougars on top 3-0. It was his ninth home run this season. 

After Fresno Pacific scored its first run in the top of the fourth to cut it to 3-1, Azusa Pacific added three more runs in the bottom half of the inning, as Will Medina delivered a three-run bomb with two outs to make it 6-1. It was Medina's second homer of the season, and it proved to be the game-winning hit, as the Sunbirds scored three runs in the top of the sixth to make it 6-4.

On the mound, Brendan Dixon started for the Cougars and went five and two thirds innings to earn the win (6-1), as he threw 108 pitches, allowing six hits, four earned runs, while striking out four hitters. Kirk Nieuwenhuis went to Alfredo Frey to get the final out of the sixth, and Frey also pitched a pair of scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth. Over his two and a third innings of work, Frey allowed just two hits and struck out three batters. Jake Vargas, who was selected to the All-PacWest Third Team this season, was called on to shut it down in the ninth. Vargas did just that, retiring Fresno Pacific in order in just nine pitches, all strikes, for his sixth save of the season.

Six different Cougars had a hit in the game, led by a 2-for-4 performance by Jeffrey Castillo (All-PacWest Third Team selection).

Up Next: Tomorrow, the Cougars will take on top-seed Point Loma at 3:00 pm. The winner of tomorrow's game advances to the championship round on Friday, while the loser will play in an elimination game tomorrow night at 7:00 pm, against the winner of tomorrow's 11:00 am elimination game between Fresno Pacific and Holy Names.