FRESNO, Calif. - No. 2 seed Azusa Pacific has secured its spot in tomorrow's PacWest Tournament championship round, after the Cougars beat top-seed Point Loma by a 9-6 score on Thursday. 

How It Happened: In the Cougars' win over Fresno Pacific yesterday, all six of their runs were scored by way of two out home runs, and they would score the first five runs of Thursday's contest in the same way. Tido Robles opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning, launching a three-run bomb out to left field to put the Cougars on top 3-0. In the bottom of the second, Will Medina would homer for the second-consecutive day, as the righty drove the first pitch that he saw in the at-bat over the fence in right field for a two-run jack to put Azusa Pacific ahead 5-0.

The Sea Lions would get back into the game in the third and fourth innings, as Point Loma put up a three spot in the third, and another run in the fourth to draw within 5-3. In the bottom of the fifth, Omar Lopez led off with a double, and a few batters later, Robles brought him home on an RBI single to make it 6-3 Cougars. 

The score would remain 6-3 until the bottom of the eighth, when the Cougars added what would turn out to be three crucial insurance runs. Will Stroud brought in the Cougars' first run of the inning on an RBI single, and Lopez followed up with an RBI double in the next at-bat to make it 8-3 Cougars. The final run of the frame was driven in by Robles, who hit an RBI single for his fifth RBI of the day. 

Point Loma, who had been held scoreless by Cougar reliever Andrew White since the third inning, threatened a comeback in the top of the ninth against closer Jake Vargas. After the leadoff hitter in the ninth reached on an error, the next batter singled, and then two consecutive hitters were walked, which brought across the first run of the inning to make it 9-4. A fielder's choice in the next at-bat made it 9-5, and a groundout to third allowed another run to come across and bring the score to 9-6. Vargas would shut the door on the Sea Lions in the next at-bat, striking out Seth Ryberg for the third and final out of the ninth.

Isaac Mendez started on the mound for the Cougars, throwing two and a third innings before handing the ball off to White in the third, who came through with a huge performance. White earned the victory after he threw five and two thirds innings of relief, allowing just one run to score. White is now 3-2 this season.

Robles' five RBI was a season-high, and he led a group of three Cougars that had three hits in the game, as he, Lopez and Medina each finished 3-for-5. Spencer Rasmussen and Brett Soria also reached base safely in three at-bats, with each player drawing four walks. 

Up Next: Azusa Pacific will head into tomorrow's championship round needing one win to claim the first ever PacWest Tournament title, as well as an automatic berth to the NCAA West Regional. The Cougars await the winner of tonight's elimination game between Point Loma and Fresno Pacific, with the winner needing to beat the Cougars twice tomorrow. The championship round has first pitch scheduled for noon tomorrow.