SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - No. 3-seed Azusa Pacific opened play at Regionals on Thursday, and the Cougars earned a 12-8 win over No. 6-seed Western Oregon. With the win, the Cougars will take on No. 2 seed and host, Cal State San Bernardino, tomorrow afternoon at 3:00 pm. 

For the second-consecutive game, Will Stroud lifted the Cougars to victory, as he hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 5-5, and in the sixth inning, he hit his second long ball of the game for another two-run jack to put the Cougars ahead 7-5. Last week in the PacWest Tournament, Stroud was named the tournament's MVP after he hit two home runs in the Cougars' title-clinching victory over top-seed Point Loma. This afternoon, Stroud finished 3-for-4 with 4 RBI. 

On the mound, David Hays earned his second victory of the season for the Cougars, as the lefty was called upon in the fifth inning and he pitched three scoreless innings and surrendered just one hit. 

How It Happened: After a scoreless first inning, the two teams found their bats in the second, as the Wolves jumped out to a 3-0 lead in top half of the inning. The lead was short-lived, with Tyus Santa Anna hitting an RBI double, Cade Marshman driving home a second run on an RBI single, and Will Medina knotting the score at 3-3 in the bottom of the second. 

The Wolves would regain the lead with single runs plated in the third and fourth inning before Stroud's homers put the Cougars on top for the first time in the contest. 

Azusa Pacific would add to its lead in the seventh, with RBI singles from Santa Anna, Brett Soria and Stroud, and a sacrifice fly from Omar Lopez brought home the fourth run of the inning to make it 11-5 Cougars. A single run by the Wolves in the eighth made it 11-6, but Soria would lay down a sacrifice bunt that scored the Cougars' 12th run in the bottom half of the inning.

In the ninth, Western Oregon showed some late signs of life, scoring two runs to make it 12-8 with one out. Still with one out, the Wolves and runners on first and second when Azusa Pacific head coach Kirk Nieuwenhuis went to his closer Jake Vargas out of the bullpen. Vargas would deliver, bouncing back from a 3-0 count to strike out the first hitter he faced, and then forcing the second batter of his outing into a game-ending groundout.

By the Numbers: As the 20 runs combined would suggest, both teams found success at the plate. The Cougars finished with 14 hits, while Western Oregon had 12. Including Stroud, Azusa Pacific had five players turn in multi-hit games, as Spencer Rasmussen, Jeffrey Castillo, Santa Anna and Marshman each had two hits apiece. Both of Rasmussen's hits were doubles. Dating back to April 15, the Cougars are currently riding an 11-game winning streak. In seven of those games, Azusa Pacific has scored nine or more runs.

Up Next: Following the Cougars' win, No. 2 seed Cal State San Bernardino eliminated Western Oregon from the West Region #2 double-elimination tournament, as the Coyotes held on for an 8-7 victory this evening. That sets up a best-of-3 scenario between the Cougars and Cal State San Bernardino, with the first game set for tomorrow (Friday) at 3:00 pm. There is only one game scheduled for Friday, with an 11:00 am game scheduled for Saturday, followed by a 2:30 pm game if necessary. Over in the West Region #1 tournament, only two teams remain as well, as No. 4 Point Loma was eliminated on Thursday with losses to No. 5 Cal Poly Pomona and No. 1 Cal State Monterey Bay.