IRVINE, Calif. — Azusa Pacific earned a split in Saturday's road doubleheader at Concordia Irvine, capturing a wild 15–14 extra-inning victory in game one before falling 4–3 in a tightly contested nightcap at Golden Eagles Field.
The Cougars showcased both offensive firepower and resilience on the day, but ultimately settled for the split after two dramatically different games.
Game One – Azusa Pacific 15, Concordia Irvine 14 (10 innings)
Game one turned into an instant classic, with Azusa Pacific surviving a late comeback and holding on in extras.
The Cougars built a commanding early lead, scoring five runs in the second inning and adding on steadily to take a 10–0 advantage through six innings. Blake Hagerty ignited the offense with a home run, while Caleb Velo and Bryce Robinette each delivered key RBI hits during the early surge.
Concordia Irvine answered with a massive 10-run sixth inning, flipping the game's momentum and tying it at 10–10 in a stretch that featured seven hits and multiple run-scoring swings.
Azusa Pacific responded immediately.
The Cougars plated two runs in the eighth and another in the ninth to regain a 13–10 lead, highlighted by RBI efforts from Diego Orozco and Steven Lukasiewicz. However, the Eagles rallied again in the ninth, tying the game on a three-run home run from Nicolas Erickson to force extras.
In the 10th, Azusa Pacific delivered the decisive blows.
Isaiah Rios drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single, and Caleb Velo followed with a bases-loaded walk to extend the lead to 15–13. Concordia Irvine pushed across one run in the bottom half, but Andrew Miller closed the door to secure the 15–14 victory.
The Cougars racked up 19 hits in the win, with Rios going 4-for-6 with two RBIs and Hagerty scoring five runs. Velo added four RBIs, while Robinette and Freer each collected three hits in the offensive explosion .
Game Two – Concordia Irvine 4, Azusa Pacific 3
The nightcap shifted to a pitching duel, with Concordia Irvine capitalizing on one key inning to claim the win.
Azusa Pacific struck first in the opening frame, scoring two runs behind an RBI single from Blake Hagerty and a run-scoring play off an error to take a 2–0 lead.
The Eagles responded in the second inning, scoring four runs on five hits, including a three-run double from Ian Stewart that proved to be the difference.
The Cougars chipped away in the fifth inning when Hagerty delivered another RBI single to cut the deficit to 4–3, but were unable to find the equalizer down the stretch.
Jacob Hayes led APU with two hits, while Hagerty finished with two hits and two RBIs in the loss. Azusa Pacific totaled seven hits in the game but stranded multiple opportunities late .
On the mound, Hagerty took the loss after allowing four runs in three innings, while Tyler Herges provided three scoreless innings of relief to keep the Cougars within striking distance.
