SEASIDE, Calif. - Azusa Pacific opened its 2024 season on Thursday, falling on the road to No. 14 Cal State Monterey Bay by a 9-4 score.

Cameron Lee and Allan Camarillo turned in multi-hit games for the Cougars, with Lee finishing 3-for-4 with a run score, while Camarillo went 2-for-4 in his Azusa Pacific debut. Jeffrey Castillo delivered a three RBI performance on a three-run home run. Spencer Rasmussen drew a pair of walks. On the mound, Isaac Mendez started for the Cougars and went four innings, giving up two runs on four hits.

How It Happened: Through two and a half innings, neither side was able to bring any runs home. The hosts broke the tie in the bottom half of the third inning, put two runs on the board with a two-run home run. Cal State Monterey Bay would extend its lead to 4-0, with runs in the fifth and sixth inning.

In the top of the seventh, Spencer Rasmussen led off with a walk, and a few batters later, Cameron Lee singled to put a pair of runners on with one out. With two outs in the inning and runners at the corners, Jeffrey Castillo not only delivered the first runs of the season for the Cougars, but he did so by sending a ball over the fence in left field for a three-run homer to cut the deficit down to 4-3. 

The momentum would be short-lived however, as the Otters came right back to score three runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh, pushing their lead back up to four runs at 7-3. Cal State Monterey Bay would add two more runs in the eighth inning, with a pair of Otter hitters delivering back-to-back solo shots to make it 9-3.

The Cougars were able to bring one more run across the plate in the ninth.

Up Next: The two teams continue their four-game series tomorrow, with a doubleheader scheduled to start at noon. The games can be watched on the CCAA Network.