HONOLULU, Hawai'i – Azusa Pacific did not get off to the kind of start to conference play they were hoping for, dropping both halves of a doubleheader at Hawai'i Pacific on Friday afternoon.  The Sharks took the opening contest 7-5 before winning the nightcap by a 3-1 scoreline.

Game 1: Hawai'i Pacific 7, Azusa Pacific 5

The Cougars trailed from the very beginning, as the very first pitch thrown in the bottom half of the first was volleyed over the fence in left field to give the Sharks a quick 1-0 lead.  Hawai'i Pacific would double that advantage thanks to a pair of two out extra-base hits in the third, while keeping the Cougars without a baserunner through the first four innings.  Spencer Rasmussen woke the Cougar offense up in the fifth, leading off the inning with a home run to right, his third of the season, cutting the deficit in half.  Later in the inning, both Omar Lopez and Jeffrey Castillo kept the inning alive by reaching on an error, and then Allan Camarillo drove both of them in with a single up the middle to give Azusa Pacific a 3-2 lead.

After the Sharks tied the game up in the bottom of the 5th, Cameron Lee led off the sixth inning with a solo shot to left to regain the advantage.  But the Sharks came back immediately in the bottom half of the inning.  In the eighth, the Cougars loaded the bases with nobody out, but were only able to score one run courtesy of George Christison getting hit by a pitch.  With two out and two on in the home half of the inning, the Sharks countered with three two-out hits that drove in three runs to seal the deal.  Camarillo had the only multi-hit game for Azusa Pacific.  Isaac Mendez struck out five in six innings on the mound, while Carson Collett threw out a pair of would-be base stealers.

Game 2: Hawai'i Pacific 3, Azusa Pacific 1

All was quiet in game two for the longest time as far as the Cougars' bats were concerned.  Hawai'i Pacific got single runs in the third, fourth, and sixth to slowly build a 3-0 lead with just three outs to go.  But in the seventh, Rasmussen led off with a single, Will Medina followed with a double, and Collett walked to load the bases with nobody out and force a pitching change.  The Cougars were unable to do any further damage with their own bats, with three straight popups, though Rasmussen would score on a wild pitch in the process.  Cade Marshman had a pair of hits in game two, while starting pitcher Aidan Langley struck out four and allowed just four hits over five innings on the mound.

Up Next:  Azusa Pacific (5-12, 0-2 PacWest) conclude their four-game series with the Sharks with another doubleheader taking place on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. Hawaiian Standard Time (1:00 p.m. Pacific).