Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Fresno Pacific started off a six-game week by controlling every phase of the game during Tuesday's doubleheader with NAIA opponent La Sierra, defeating the Golden Eagles 8-0 in game one and 10-0 in game two.

"It's a big week for us," said head coach Oscar Hirschkorn. "We've got two six-game weeks in the season and this is one of them. This is not just a physical grind but a mental grind."

Ryan Cheek and James Lagorio each turned in dominant performances on the mound, with Cheek throwing seven scoreless innings in game one and Lagorio throwing five innings of one-hit ball in game two.

"That's exactly what we needed today and they gave it to us," said Hirschkorn about his pitching staff. "It's a lot of innings in one week and the first two pieces to this puzzle were [Cheek and Lagorio] giving us great starts and going deep into games. They pounded the zone, mixed their pitches when necessary and fielded their position well. It was exactly what we needed."

The Sunbirds (16-10) were also clicking on all cylinders on offense, led by Kaohu Gaspar who went 5-for-6 with four RBI on the day and Brett Bishop who was 2-for-4 with four RBI, two runs scored and three walks.

La Sierra, which dropped to 1-20 on the season, limited the damage as much as possible in game one by stranding 14 FPU runners on base, but the Sunbirds scored three runs in both the sixth and seventh innings to pull away. Kellen Hackett was impressive in two scoreless innings of relief, striking out three without allowing a hit.

In the seven-inning second game, the Sunbirds put up nine runs in the first inning to effectively put the game out of reach for the Golden Eagles. FPU pitchers allowed just one hit and no walks in the shutout as Aaron Kirkpatrick and Jeff Bench tossed scoreless innings of relief after a masterful five-inning, five strikeout performance by Lagorio.

LSU's leadoff batter singled in the first inning, but it was all Sunbirds from that point as Lagorio and the bullpen retired every batter the rest of the way.

The Sunbirds, as they had in their previous series win over #24 Cal State L.A., continued to try out new lineup combinations and give different players a chance to shine.

"A lot of guys came through, and most importantly we've been playing team baseball," said Hirschkorn. "We've been aggressive when we need to be aggressive, we've been taking team at-bats when we need to, we've moved guys up when we need to and we've had good pitching."

FPU returns to PacWest conference play this weekend, facing Academy of Art in San Francisco.

"These four games in conference coming up are huge," said Hirschkorn. "This is an opportunity for us to move back to the top of the standings where we want to be and it's going to take the whole roster contributing."