FRESNO, Calif. - The Cougar Baseball squad traveled to the Central Valley to play PacWest opponent Fresno Pacific. Before today's game, the Sunbirds and Cougars have battled it out on the diamond since 2006, with a 47-35 record in favor of the Cougars. 

Thursday's lone game began quietly, as Elijah Cook cracked open the game in the second inning with a single up the middle, followed by Diego Frey's double to right, allowing Cook to score. Will Medina continued the rally with a double to center, bringing Frey home. The third inning was pivotal in this game's outcome, as Antonio Lujan earned a walk, followed by Jacob Hayes's single to right and Elijah Cook's single to the middle, allowing Lujan to score again. Will Medina maintained his consistency from the previous inning with a single down the left field line to score Hayes. 

The Sunbirds worked to claw back into the game in the third inning, with a three-run home run to give Fresno Pacific a 5-4 lead. The Cougars responded promptly with a solo home run from Jacob Hayes in the 8th inning, followed by a single from Frey, Elijah Morgan crushed a two-run homer to left field to flip the script and bring APU up 7-5 towards the end of the game. The Cougars held off the Sunbirds, winning the first game of the series 7-5. 

The Cougars started David Hays on the mound. Hays pitched six innings, striking out three 'Birds. Matthew Brock earned the win with a clean seventh inning, and Jake Vargas closed the door on the Sunbirds with two dominant innings, striking out five of the six batters he faced.  

Up Next: The Cougars will look to continue their rampage back at Dan Martin Stadium in Fresno tomorrow for a doubleheader, with those seven-inning games starting at 2 PM and 5 PM.