WAIPAHU, Hawai'i — Azusa Pacific delivered timely offense and clutch relief pitching Friday night, rallying late to defeat Hawai'i Pacific 6–5 in the second game of the PacWest series at Hans L'Orange Park in Waipahu.
The Cougars overcame an early deficit and used late inning execution to secure the road victory behind a strong bullpen performance from Matthew Brock and Andrew Miller.
Hawai'i Pacific struck first in the bottom of the opening inning when Brock Wirthgen drove in Noah Hata with an RBI single to give the Sharks a 1–0 lead. Azusa Pacific responded quickly in the second inning. Noah Lane reached with a single before Bryce Robinette launched a two run home run to left field, putting the Cougars ahead 2–1.
The Sharks answered immediately in the bottom half of the inning when Hata connected on a two run homer to give Hawai'i Pacific a 3–2 advantage.
APU regained momentum in the fourth inning. Jacob Hayes singled to begin the rally and Robinette was hit by a pitch before Steven Lukasiewicz reached on a fielder's choice. With two runners in scoring position, Jacob Freer delivered a clutch two run single to left field, giving the Cougars a 4–3 lead.
Hawai'i Pacific tied the game in the fourth when Hata delivered another RBI hit, and the Sharks moved ahead in the fifth with a bases loaded walk that pushed the score to 5–4.
From there, Azusa Pacific's bullpen took control.
Matthew Brock entered in relief and shut down the Sharks over four dominant innings, allowing just one hit while striking out three to keep the Cougars within striking distance.
The offense rewarded that effort in the eighth inning. Hayes stepped to the plate and crushed a solo home run to left field, tying the game at 5–5 and shifting momentum back to APU.
The Cougars completed the comeback in the ninth. Tyler Preece drew a walk and advanced before Noah Lane put the ball in play, reaching on a fielder's choice that allowed the go ahead run to score after a Hawai'i Pacific defensive error.
Andrew Miller came on in the ninth and recorded the final out to earn the save and seal the 6–5 victory.
Robinette finished with two hits and two RBIs to lead the offense, while Hayes added a home run and two hits. Freer also drove in two runs as the Cougars collected eight hits on the night.
Azusa Pacific improves to 9–12 overall with the win and will continue its four game PacWest series against Hawai'i Pacific this weekend at Hans L'Orange Park.
