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Riverside, Calif. -
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Fresno Pacific will be making an early trip home after bowing out of the GSAC Tournament with a 6-4 loss to Azusa Pacific on Wednesday. The Sunbirds were one out away from sealing a 4-2 victory, but for the second day in a row couldn't close the game out.

FPU, who had already secured a spot in an NAIA Regional next week, became the second high-seed to receive an early exit in the conference tournament after top-seed Cal Baptist was eliminated earlier in the day.

Tyler Pryor went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a home run in the loss. Andrew Douglas also went 3-for-4. Matt Mazzoni went 7 innings and gave up two runs, getting a no decision.

Closer Michael Rivera, after playing the first eight innings at catcher, came on to pitch in the bottom of the 9th with a 4-2 lead. After a leadoff single and a hit batsman put the tying run on-base, Rivera got the next two batters to fly out, resulting in a sacrifice fly that made the score 4-3 but bringing the team one out away from advancing.

The next batter singled though and APU's Trevor Lothrop delivered the game-tying hit, a double down the left-field line. The game was still very salvageable at this point but a balk brought in another run and an infield single was beat out bringing the score to 6-4.

The Sunbirds went down without much resistance in the bottom of the 9th, going 1-2-3 with two strikeouts to end it. Rivera took the loss, falling to 3-2. FPU fell to 30-19 on the season.

The Sunbirds hammered out 12 hits off APU starter Jacob Cage, who finished with seven strikeouts, but the APU hurler got out of trouble when he needed to, limiting the damage. Mazzoni gave up two runs in the 3rd, but settled down after that to throw four straight scoreless innings.

Pryor's home run to left in the 4th, followed by hits from Douglas and Karlan Andrews tied the game up at two. Pryor then gave the team its first lead the next inning, driving in David Hawes who had doubled to start the inning.

After Greg Kilgore worked a 1-2-3 scoreless 8th, the Sunbirds would add an insurance run in the bottom half when Pryor got another hit and Douglas drove him in. Unfortunately, the team would need more than that and had their chances with the bases loaded and one out for Rivera grounded into an inning-ending double play.

APU moves on to face the winner of Concordia and Biola tomorrow. The Sunbirds now must wait to hear where they'll be traveling for the NAIA Opening Round Regional next week.


Schedule/Results
Tuesday
Game 1: #6 Azusa Pacific 15, #1 Cal Baptist 7
Game 2: #2 Biola 5,  #5 Point Loma Nazarene 3
Game 3: #4 Concordia 14, #3 Fresno Pacific 7

Wednesday
Game 4 - Point Loma Nazarene 10, Cal Baptist 3 (CBU eliminated)
Game 5 - Azusa Pacific 6, Fresno Pacific 4 (FPU eliminated)
Game 6 - Biola vs. Concordia, 3 pm

Thursday
Azusa Pacific vs. CUI/Biola winner
Point Loma Nazarene vs. CUI/Biola loser