SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - The Cougars avoided a four-game sweep at the hands of Westmont, as Azusa Pacific took the finale of Monday's doubleheader by a 7-3 score. The Cougars are now 18-22 overall and 13-10 in conference action.

GAME ONE: Westmont 7, Azusa Pacific 5

A three-run bottom of the first inning gave the Warriors the early upperhand, and the score remained 3-0 until the top of the fifth inning. In the fifth, the Cougars got on the board off of a solo homerun from Danny Yanez. In the top of the sixth, Mikey Easter delivered a game-tying two-run home run that made it 3-3. The Warriors would take the lead right back in the bottom half of the sixth, driving in a run to make it 4-3.

After a scoreless seventh inning, the Cougars grabbed a late-game lead in the top of the eighth. After the leadoff hitter in the eighth struck out, George Christison singled to reach first as the tying run. Cameron Lee stepped to the plate, and after he took a 1-0 lead in the count, he drove the second pitch he saw over the right field wall to give the Cougars their first lead of the game at 5-4. 

Once again, the Warriors would respond, this time hitting an eventual game-winning three-run home run in the bottom of eighth to make it 7-5.

The first three hitters in the Cougar lineup went 6-for-15, with Christison, Lee and Easter each getting two hits in the game. 

GAME TWO: Azusa Pacific 7, Westmont 3 (7 innings)

Cameron Kessel and Damian Pasillas turned in solid outings on the hill to salvage the final game of the series, as Kessel went five and two thirds to start, before handing the ball off to Pasillas who worked an inning and a third of scoreless relief to earn his first win of the season. Kessel did not allow a run through the first five innings, and he ended up allowing three earned runs on just four hits, while Pasillas did not allow a hit.

The Cougars took a 3-0 lead in the third inning, as Omar Lopez doubled in Easter who had led off the inning with a single, and then Yanez followed Lopez with his second homer of the day. The lead for the visitors disappeared in the sixth, as Westmont tied things up at 3-3. The Warriors threatened to take the lead in the sixth, but Pasillas got out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the score knotted up. 

In the top of the seventh, Easter led off with a single, and a few batters later, Spencer Rasmussen singled to put runners at the corners with one away. The Warriors then brought in a relief pitcher, who was immediately greeted by an RBI single from Lopez to put the Cougars ahead 4-3. After Yanez drew a walk to load the bases, the Cougars turned to Will Medina to pinch hit, and Medina delivered with an RBI single that drove in Rasmussen. With the bases still loaded and only one away, Jeffrey Castillo was hit by a 2-2 pitch to add the third run of the frame, and a fourth run was added off of an error by Westmont's catcher on a fielder's choice play.

While the Warriors were able to get two runners on the base in the bottom of the seventh, neither advanced past second base.

Easter went 3-for-4 in game two, scoring two runs, while Lopez was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Castillo was 1-for-1 with two walks and an RBI.

Up Next: The Cougars will be back on the field next Friday for a doubleheader at Point Loma, with first pitch scheduled for noon in San Diego.