SEASIDE, Calif. - Azusa Pacific salvaged the final game of its four game series at No. 14 Cal State Monterey Bay on Saturday afternoon, beating the Otters by a 3-1 score to avoid the sweep. 

Four Cougars took to the mound in the game, with Aidan Langley pitching four innings in his first start as a Cougar. Langley allowed just one run over four innings, and he handed the ball off to Matthew Brock to start the fifth inning with the score tied at 1-1, as each time scored a run in the fourth inning. After Brock retired Cal State Monterey Bay in order in the fifth, the Cougars received a huge clutch moment from Carson Collett in the top of the sixth. With one out in the sixth, Omar Lopez hit a double, and with two away, Will Medina and Cameron Lee drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. Following Lee's walk, the Otters brought on a new pitcher to face Collett, however, Collett greeted the reliever with a single to center field that brought home Lopez and Medina to put the Cougars on top. 

Brock would earn the win for the Cougars by pitching three and a third scoreless innings, spacing out four hits and striking out four batters he faced. In the bottom of the eighth inning with two on and one out, Brock made way for Kohl Petersen, who promptly shut the door on the Otters in the frame by forcing the first batter he faced to fly out, followed by a punch out for the third and final out of the eighth.

In the bottom of the ninth, Cal State Monterey Bay drew a lead off walk, but Petersen was able to erase the threat by way of a 6-3 double play. After a two-out walk brought the tying run to the plate, the Cougars turned to their closer Jake Vargas for the final out. Vargas delivered, forcing the first hitter he faced into a game-ending ground out.

Collett finished 2-for-4 in the game, while Lopez scored two runs and Jeffrey Castillo was able to go 1-for-2 and draw a pair of walks. Azusa Pacific finished with six hits in the game, while Cal State Monterey Bay had 10 hits.

Up Next: The Cougars return to Southern California this week, where they will play four games against Cal Poly Pomona. The two teams will play single games on Thursday and Friday over in Pomona, before ending the home/away series with a doubleheader in Azusa on Saturday. The four games will the first of the season for the Broncos.