By Tim Peterson
(Glendora) – Azusa Pacific pounded out 14 hits, including five home runs to beat Cal State Monterey Bay 12-9 Saturday and advance to the NCAA Division 2 Super Regionals next week in San Diego.
One of the Cougars home runs was an inside the park job by Aaron Roose who hit two homers on the day. Neither team’s pitching was able to hold the other at bay. There were 8 home runs overall with Cal State Monterey Bay belting three of its own. The Otters outhit the Cougars 15-14 in the contest. Each team used five pitchers on the day.
The win was the deciding game of a three-game series between the two. Cal State Monterey Bay won the first game of a doubleheader 15-8 Friday but the Cougars won the nightcap 6-5 before clinching Saturday.
Azusa Pacific appeared to have put the game away when Roose homered to left field in the seventh inning to make it 12-5 but the Otters responded with four in the top of the eighth on a solo shot by Nico Hartojo and a three-run bomb by Jason Ajamian to make it 12-9.
A.J. Woodall was able to close it out for APU in the ninth.
Casey O’Laughlin got the Cougars going when hit a fastball to In N Out on Alosta Blvd. beyond the right field fence for a three-run home run in the second inning. Omar Lopez doubled to start the inning and Casey Dykstra walked.
Monterey came back with four in the third inning on a run scoring double by Brady Miguel, an RBI single by Kyle Guerra and a two-run double by Ajamian.
Dykstra homered to tie it in the fourth and Omar Lopez unloaded one to left field for a two-run dinger in the fifth inning with Spencer Rasmussen on third. Rasmussen tripled home Roose to put the Cougars back in front.
APU broke it open in the with four in the sixth inning courtesy of two Monterey errors, the inside the park home run by Roose and an RBI single by Dykstra. Roose hit a line shot that the centerfielder tried to make a play on but the ball got by him and Roose was off to the races. By the time the dust had settled it was 11-4 Cougars.
The Otters then battled back for one in the seventh and four in the eighth highlighted by two Ajamian home runs to make it interesting but the Cougs survived.
Isaac Mendez started for APU and worked four and one-third innings allowing seven hits and four runs (three earned). David Wylie threw one inning and picked up the win. Kyle Galart suffered the loss for the Otters.
Azusa Pacific will now play in the NCAA Super Regionals beginning Friday in San Diego.
CSMB 0 0 4 0 0 0 1 4 0 9 15 3
APU 0 3 0 1 3 4 1 0 X 12 14 1
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