AZUSA, Calif. – Reverting to form in the head-to-head series, Azusa Pacific settled for a split of their two-game set with Colorado Mesa, falling to the Mavericks 8-1 Tuesday afternoon inside the Cougar Baseball Complex.

Colorado Mesa capitalized on a leadoff double in the second inning, manufacturing a run via a groundout.  They would again put up a single run in the third when the leadoff hitter got a second chance off a somewhat controversial foul ball call, getting a single and coming around on a fielder's choice to make the score 2-0.

The Cougars responded in the bottom half of the inning.  Cameron Lee led off with a walk, then stole second.  Mikey Easter also walked, and a Cade Marshman hit drove in Lee to cut the deficit in half.  When both runners moved up on a passed ball, the Cougars had the tying run on third with nobody out.  But the Mavericks pitching staff calmly got out of the jam without allowing another run, and three pitchers would combine to retire the next 13 Cougar batters, a stretch that would continue all the way into the 7th inning.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks would bust the game open with four consecutive two-out hits in the fourth, the major damage dealer being a two-run triple that made the score 5-1.  That batter would score on a subsequent wild pitch, making the score 6-1.  Colorado Mesa would tack on two more runs in the seventh to close out the scoring.

By the Numbers:  Five different Cougars had a single hit in the game, but they also left five runners on base in the first three innings and only had two more the rest of the way.  Azusa Pacific used five pitchers in the game, with Cody Kessel, Kohl Petersen, and Abraham Carillo each having scoreless outings, Petersen collecting three strikeouts along the way.  In all, the Cougar staff struck out nine batters in the game.  In six games in Azusa over the past three seasons, Mesa has gone 5-1 and averaged 14.5 runs a game in the process.

Up Next:  Azusa Pacific (5-10) now heads to the islands to start conference play.  Up first in PacWest action is a four-game set at Hawai'i Pacific.  Game one of the series is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (1:00 p.m. Pacific) on Friday.