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Box Score 2 World Series BracketAZUSA, Calif. - Fresno Pacific is headed to the NCCAA World Series after sweeping conference rival Azusa Pacific on the road by scores of 9-5 and 10-2 to win the NCCAA West Region championship.
The Sunbirds (33-19) left no doubt who would leave the field as the champion with a dominant all-around performance that sent the team to a national postseason berth for the fourth time in program history.
"We got great, tough pitching all day long," said head coach
Oscar Hirschkorn. "Our hitters were aggressive but disciplined. We played FPU baseball and it was fun to watch. I'm very proud of this team and can't wait til next week."
The Sunbird lineup pounded out 26 hits on the day, including home runs from
Joshua Banuelos and
Travis Beck, roughing up each of APU's ace starters in succession. FPU's ace pitchers meanwhile,
J.D. Salles and
Wilson Ashford, put together strong starts despite pitching in one of the league's most hitter-friendly ballparks. FPU's
John Koretoff continued his recent hot streak, going 4-for-4 with three RBI in game two.
Kaohu Gaspar collected four hits on the day.
FPU jumped on the Cougars right off the bat, scoring four runs in the first off APU ace Josh Staumont. It was the second time this season the Sunbirds have defeated the nationally-ranked prospect. The Sunbirds added four more in the third, giving Salles more than enough support for the first game victory.
Michael Rodrigues tossed two scoreless out of the pen to preserve the win.
Game two had the making of a pitcher's duel until the fifth, when
Baron Bower got FPU on the board with an RBI single. After Koretoff added an RBI single in the sixth, the Sunbirds exploded for a seven-run seventh inning, capped off by Beck's two-run homer, to put the game out of reach. Banuelos added a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth.
The Sunbirds will travel to Mason, Ohio, where they'll begin the NCCAA World Series on Wednesday. Check back for a preview of the championships and view the full bracket
HERE.
