*NOTE: The current box score incorrectly shows Isaac Mendez having thrown in the seventh inning of game one. The stats will be corrected before the next game begins tomorrow.

AZUSA, Calif. –  Legendary Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver had a math equation that he drilled into his teams:  3-run homers + well-pitched games = wins.  The Cougars adapted that formula to perfection Wednesday afternoon at home, sending nine balls over the fence en route to an 18-8, 7-1 sweep against Hawai'i Hilo at the Cougar Baseball Complex.

Game One:  Azusa Pacific 18, Hawai'i Hilo 8 (7 innings)

The offense got started almost immediately, as Spencer Rasmussen drilled the first homer of the day four batters into the game, a two-run shot to right center.  In the bottom of the second, Carson Collett followed suit with another homer to right center, making it 3-0.  In the third, Mikey Easter and Rasmussen led off with back-to-back walks.  Two batters later, Cade Marshman singled to load the bases.  Collett drew another walk to force in a run.  Omar Lopez followed with another RBI on a fielder's choice.  Allan Camarillo then came through with another RBI single, and two batters later, Cameron Lee would cap off the inning with a two-run single to make it 8-0.

Hilo was able to cut the deficit in half in the top of the fourth, but the Cougars answered back in short order.  With two out, Marshman hit a solo shot to left.  Collett (single), Lopez (double), and Camarillo (2-run single) followed with more two-out hits, allowing the Cougars to plate three runs and make the score 11-4.  With two on and two out in the fifth, Marshman came back up and hit his second straight home run, a three-run shot to left center, increasing the lead to 14-4.

The Vulcans pulled a run back in the sixth, but the Cougars applied the coup de gras in the bottom half.  Lopez led off with a solo home run that went through the netting by the scoreboard in left center.  After Camarillo and George Christison hit consecutive singles, Lee blasted another three-run homer to left, giving the Cougars an 18-5 lead.  While the Vulcans got a three-run homer of their own in the top of the 7th, the ten-run margin was enough to end the game early.  Camarillo had three hits for the Cougars, and Lee drove in five runs, while Isaac Mendez threw six innings while striking out seven to earn the victory.

Game Two:  Azusa Pacific 7, Hawai'i Hilo 1 (7 innings)

After Lee led off the bottom of the first with a single, Marshman followed up with his third home run of the afternoon, giving the Cougars a quick 2-0 lead.  The Cougars would add a third run courtesy of a Vulcan throwing error before the inning would end.  The Vulcans got on the board in the top of the second with a solo home run, which Azusa Pacific was able to answer in the bottom half of the inning with a sacrifice fly by Easter.

The third inning came and went without a change to the scoreboard, the only time in either game that happened.  In the bottom of the fourth, with two out, Marshman collected another single, starting yet another two-out rally that would result in an Easter RBI single to make it 5-1.  Collett would lead off the fifth with his second opposite-field solo home run of the day, and Keegan Rodin would cap off the day with his first collegiate home run, leading off the sixth with a solo shot to left to complete the scoring.  Gavino Rosales threw a complete game five-hitter in the nightcap, striking out eight in earning his third-straight victory.

By the Numbers:  Azusa Pacific, which entered the day having hit 21 home runs as a team on the season, slugged nine in the doubleheader.  The six home runs the Cougars hit in game one are the most they have hit in a game since March 25, 2022, when they slugged seven in a 27-3 victory over Biola.  Azusa Pacific's nine homers in the doubleheader are also the most since that day, when the Cougars hit 11 over the two Cornerstone Cup victories.  Marshman went 6-7 at the plate on the day, slugging three home runs, driving in six runs and scoring five.

Up Next:  Since dropping their first game against Chaminade, Azusa Pacific (13-15, 8-5 PacWest) have won eight games in a row.  They look to keep that streak going when they conclude their series against the Vulcans with another doubleheader Thursday.  First pitch at the Cougar Baseball Complex is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.