AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific put together a late push, but Cal State Monterey Bay's steady offense proved too much, as the Cougars fell 9-3 at the Cougar Baseball Complex on Thursday afternoon.

How it Happened: The Cougars struck in the fourth inning when Jacob Hayes hit an RBI triple to right-center, bringing home Mikey Easter to respond to the Otters' run at the top of the inning. However, Monterey Bay jumped back ahead with a two-run homer in the fifth, extending its lead to 3-1.

Azusa Pacific's starting pitcher, David Hays, kept the Cougars in the game, working five innings and allowing just three hits while striking out two. 

Reliever Damian Pasillas took over in the sixth but was unable to escape unscathed, as Monterey Bay capitalized on a throwing error. The Cougars' defense faltered, committing two costly errors that allowed the Otters to tack on two more runs to push their lead to 5-1 without registering a hit in the inning. 

Azusa Pacific showed life in the eighth inning when Elijah Cook crushed a solo home run to cut the deficit to 8-2. Easter followed with a single and later came around to score on an RBI single from Antonio Lujan, making it 8-3. However, the Otters added one more insurance run in the ninth, and the Cougars could not mount a final rally.

By the Numbers: Cook finished the day 2-for-5 with a homer and a run scored, while Hayes went 1-for-3 with an RBI triple. Easter recorded two hits and scored twice. Tyler Herges threw a scoreless ninth inning.

Up Next: The Cougars and Otters return for day two of their four-game series tomorrow, Feb. 6 at the Cougar Baseball Complex. First pitch is set for 5:00 p.m., weather permitting.