WAIPAHU, HI – Azusa Pacific continued its time in Hawai'i with a conference matchup against Hawaii Pacific. May 17th, 1991 marked the first matchup, with APU competing in the GSAC and HPU competing in the PacWest as a founding member. Over the past 35 years, APU has had 39 wins and 17 losses in its history against the Sharks.
In a marathon PacWest matchup at Hans L'Orange Park, Azusa Pacific outlasted Hawai'i Pacific with a 9-7 victory in 15 innings to open the series. The Cougars jumped out early, rallied late to force extras, and finally broke through in the 15th inning to secure the win.
How it Happened: The Cougs looked to add to their winning record Thursday afternoon, striking first in the opening inning when Tyler Preece drove in Jacob Freer with an RBI double. APU added another run in the second as Matt Kurkdjian singled home Bryce Robinette to extend the lead to 2-0. Hawaii Pacific answered with a three-run fifth inning, highlighted by a two-RBI single from Brock Wirthgen and an RBI hit from Sam Schneider to take a 3-2 lead. The Sharks added another run in the sixth and stretched the advantage to 5-2 when Noah Hata hit a solo home run in the seventh.
Azusa Pacific rallied in the eighth inning as Preece launched a solo home run and Jacob Hayes followed with a two-run shot to tie the game at 5–5 and send the contest into extra innings.
After several scoreless extra innings, the Cougars broke through in the 15th inning. Danny O'Neill drove in a run on a fielder's choice as an error allowed another run to score, and Blake Hagerty added an RBI single before Isaiah Rios was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to push the lead to 9-5. Hawai'i Pacific answered with a two-run single from Tyler Arnold in the bottom half but couldn't complete the comeback as Azusa Pacific held on for the win. Preece led Azusa Pacific offensively, going 3-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs, while Hayes added two hits and a two-run homer. Freer also reached base four times and scored twice.
On the mound, Doug Pyle earned the win in relief, tossing four innings with four strikeouts to close out the game. The Cougars finished with 11 hits in the 15-inning victory, while Hawai'i Pacific recorded 13 hits in the loss.
Batting Stats:
- Tyler Preece: 3-for-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB
- Jacob Hayes: 2-for-7, HR, 2 RBI
- Jacob Freer: 2-for-6, 2 runs scored, 2 BB
- Blake Hagerty: 1-for-7, RBI, walk
- Bryce Robinette: 2 runs scored
On the Mound:
- Doug Pyle (W): 4.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
- Cougars Bullpen (C. Kessel, D. Pasillas, K. Tenn, T. Herges): Combined to hold Hawai'i Pacific scoreless through multiple extra innings before the Sharks scored twice in the 15th.
Up Next: The Cougars will play Hawaii Pacific tomorrow at Hans L'Orange again. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 PM PST.
