ST. GEORGE, Utah — Azusa Pacific battled until the final out but came up just short Sunday afternoon, falling 9–8 to Division I Utah Tech in the rubber match at Bruce Hurst Field.
After splitting the first two games of the series, the Cougars (23–23) showed resilience once again, but Utah Tech's timely hitting and multi-run innings proved to be the difference in a tightly contested finale.
Azusa Pacific struck first for the second consecutive game, manufacturing a run in the opening inning when Jacob Freer came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Blake Hagerty.
The Cougars added to their lead in the fourth when Hagerty launched a solo home run, and Freer followed with a solo shot in the fifth to give APU a 3–1 advantage.
Utah Tech responded in the middle innings, continuing a trend seen throughout the series. After plating a run in the third, the Trailblazers erupted in the fifth behind a two-run home run from Miller Durham and an RBI triple from Cooper Smith to take a 4–3 lead. They added another run in the sixth on a balk before extending the lead in the seventh with two more runs to make it 7–5.
Azusa Pacific answered again.
In the seventh, Steven Lukasiewicz delivered an RBI double and Freer followed with a run-scoring single to tie the game at 5–5. But Utah Tech once again had a response, scoring twice in the bottom half to regain control.
The Trailblazers added a two-run home run in the eighth to stretch the lead to 9–6, forcing the Cougars into comeback mode.
APU nearly completed it.
In the ninth, Tyler Preece and Jacob Hayes each singled before Hagerty drove in a run with a base hit. Noah Lane followed with another RBI single to cut the deficit to 9–8 and put the tying run in scoring position. However, Utah Tech was able to record the final out and secure the series-clinching win.
Freer led the Cougars with a 3-for-5 performance, including a home run and two RBIs, while Hagerty added two hits and three RBIs. Azusa Pacific finished with 13 hits, matching its offensive output from game two, but was unable to overcome Utah Tech's 18-hit performance .
The finale mirrored much of the series narrative. After scoring 11 runs in game one, the Cougars were limited to just two runs in game two before bouncing back offensively in the rubber match. However, pitching inconsistencies persisted, as APU allowed 12 runs in game two and nine more in the finale, struggling to contain Utah Tech's lineup across multiple innings .
Despite the loss, Azusa Pacific showed it can compete with Division I competition, pushing Utah Tech to the limit in a back-and-forth series that ultimately came down to the final inning.
