AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific's 18 seniors did all they could to make the final day of the regular season a memorable one, earning a series win over Fresno Pacific with a 12-2 win in game one of the doubleheader before the Sunbirds took the nightcap 7-1.

Game One:  Azusa Pacific 12, Fresno Pacific 2 (8 innings)

The Sunbirds struck first with a solo home run in the top of the second inning.  But the Cougars would answer right back in the home half.  Spencer Rasmussen tied the game with a home run to right.  Three batters later, with two on and two out, Jeffrey Castillo drove in both runners with a bloop single into left to give the Cougars a 3-1 lead.  George Christison would drive Castillo in with a single to make it a four-run inning for the home side.  In the third inning, the middle of the Cougars' lineup really got things going as in a four-batter span, Cade Marshman, Danny Yanez, and Omar Lopez would each hit a solo home run, putting Azusa Pacific ahead 7-1.

Fresno Pacific would claw a run back in the fifth, and it remained a 7-2 game until the bottom of the seventh.  The first four batters in the home half of the inning reached base via three walks and a hit by pitch, with Yanez collecting his second RBI of the contest.  Lopez then hit a sac fly to make the score 9-2.  In the eighth, Christison led off with a double.  Cameron Lee beat out an infield hit, and Marshman was intentionally walked to load the bases with one out.  Yanez came through with a two-run single, then Lopez and Diego Frey drew consecutive walks to end the game slightly early.  Yanez had a career-high four RBI in the game, while Aidan Langley threw a complete game, facing just three batters over the minimum and striking out seven.

Game Two:  Fresno Pacific 7, Azusa Pacific 1

Fresno Pacific pounced early, putting three on the board in the top of the first inning and never really looked back.  The Cougars very nearly answered back in the bottom half of the inning, loading the bases with one out.  Lopez launched a ball down the left field line that cleared the netting, but the home plate umpire ruled it had drifted foul before going over the wall, and the next pitch resulted in an inning-ending double play.  Fresno Pacific would add a run in each of the next two innings, and the Cougars turned their attention to getting as many of their 18 seniors playing time as they could.  Tyler Durbin would get the home team on the board in the fourth with a solo home run, his second long ball of the season, to account for the Cougars' lone run of the contest.  In all, 14 Cougar seniors played in the contest, with Abraham Carrillo, Zachariah McCorvey, and Brendon Cannings each throwing a scoreless inning out of the bullpen.

Up Next:  Azusa Pacific (21-27, 16-15 PacWest) will now turn its attention to hosting the PacWest Tournament, which will take place May 8-10 at the Cougar Baseball Complex.  The winner of the four-team double-elimination tournament will gain the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.  The Cougars will open the tournament on Wednesday, May 8 against either Point Loma or Concordia.  Stay tuned to apu.edu/athletics for more information about the tournament as it becomes available.