MidValleySports.Com

By Tim Peterson

(Azusa) – Azusa Pacific racked up 24 hits in a 13-8 win over Biola Friday at the Cougar Baseball Complex in the first game of a doubleheader.

It wasn’t easy. The Cougars had leads of 4-0 and 7-5 but the Eagles kept battling back. Biola forged a 7-7 tie in the top of the seventh before Azusa Pacific scored six runs in the final two frames to finally put it away.

There were 37 hits combined between the two teams to go with the 21 runs. Biola had 13 hits of their own. The game lasted three hours and 30 minutes.

Tied at seven, Jacob Freer, who had four hits in the game, led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to left for Azusa Pacific. With one out Blake Hagerty was hit by a pitch. Tyler Preece singled to center to drive in Freer and Diego Orozco hit a pinch hit double to drive in two more to put the Cougars up 10-7.

In the top of the eighth James Whitman hit his second homerun of the game for Biola to cut the lead to 10-8 but the Cougars iced it in the bottom of the inning with three more runs.

Bryce Robinette singled home Caleb Velo, who had reached on a base hit, and Preece and Jacob Hayes both had RBI singles in the inning.

Andrew Miller closed it out for the Cougars in the ninth.

Freer led off the game with a homerun and Hagerty, Preece and Lukasiewicz all had hits in the first inning as the Cougars jumped out to a 4-0 lead. There were also two walks and a hit batter to help the cause.

Biola got two in the third inning on a double by Whitman, a single by Jonny Tewinkle, a walk and a couple of ground outs.

Hayes hit a towering shot to left for a homerun to put the Cougars up 5-2 in the bottom of the third. APU was up 6-3 in the sixth when Biola’s Whitman jumped on a fastball and deposited it over the left field barrier for a two-run home run to make it 6-5.

An RBI single by Aeden Alexander put Azusa Pacific up 7-5 in the bottom of the sixth but the Eagles again answered with two in the seventh to get even.

Nicholas Whippo and Luke Caruso both had RBI doubles in the seventh and just like that it was all knotted up at seven.

But the Cougars then blew it open with the two three-run innings. Freer led the attack with four hits as Hagerty, Preece, Hayes, Isaiah Rios and Lukasiewicz all had three hits on the day.

Biola used four pitchers in the contest. Jacob Talbott started and worked into the fifth inning allowing six runs and 14 hits. Aidan Cube worked two innings and gave up three runs and three hits to take the loss.

Joel Tornero went four innings for APU before giving way to David O’Neill. O’Neill picked up the win. Miller worked the last two innings to earn the save.

Azusa Pacific improved to 19-19 overall and 17-12 in the PacWest Conference. Biola fell to 16-16 and 12-12.

B 0 0 2 1 0 2 2 1 0 8 12 1

A 4 0 1 0 1 1 3 3 X 13 24 0

Note: Azusa Pacific beat Biola 11-4 in the second game of the doubleheader.