AZUSA, Calif. - Azusa Pacific dropped a Tuesday night game against Hope International, falling 14-7 in Azusa. The Cougars are now 17-18 overall.

The Royals quickly got on the board, with the leadoff hitter in the first inning sending a ball well over the towering nets in left field for a solo homer to go up 1-0. Hope would add another run in the frame to grab an early 2-0 lead. 

Gavino Rosales and Aidan Langley would be called upon out of the bullpen for the Cougars, with the duo each throwing two scoreless innings to keep the Royals at just two runs through the fifth inning. Azusa Pacific would grab the lead during the middle innings, as Omar Lopez made it 2-1 with a sacrifice fly in the third, while Cade Marshman tied things up with a two out RBI double in the fourth, and Mikey Easter gave the hosts the lead in the next at-bat with an RBI single to drive in Marshman for the 3-2 advantage. George Christison would add another to the lead in the fifth, as he was called upon as a pinch hitter with two outs and delivered an RBI single.

The Royals would make it 4-3 in the top of the sixth, and then they would grab control of the game by scoring seven runs in the seventh inning to surge ahead 10-4. 

While Lopez hit a solo homer in the bottom half of the seventh and Easter and Spencer Rasmussen drove in runs in the eighth, the Cougars were unable to keep pace as Hope added four more runs between the eighth and ninth innings.

Rasmussen finished 3-for-5 with a double and an RBI, Lopez went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs, Marshman was 2-for-5 with two runs scored, and Easter reached base safely four times, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and three walks. 

Up Next: Azusa Pacific and Concordia will play a non-conference game in Azusa next Tuesday, April 9, at 5:00 pm.