FRESNO, Calif.  – The Fresno Pacific University baseball team came away with a win on Tuesday, outdueling Cal State Monterey Bay 7-2 at FPU Diamond. The win improves the Sunbirds to 3-2 at their home field this spring, while the Otters suffered their second consecutive loss.
 
"We're still trying to figure our team out and we are closer to doing that. We made too many mistakes tonight, but there were some bright spots," head coach Oscar Hirschkorn said. "I wish I had all the answers, but in a game that wasn't pretty for either side, it was good to pick up a win."
 
CSUMB scored the first run of the game on a wild pitch in the top of the third, but the Sunbirds tied the game two innings later in the same fashion. After the Otters took a 2-1 lead in the sixth, FPU rightfielder Travis Anderson broke up a no-hit bid with a two-RBI single up the middle to spark a four-run inning.  
 
The home nine didn't look back, tacking on two more insurance runs in the eighth after a big hit from Derek Arkelian. The Otters were retired in order in the top of the ninth, snapping a three-game winning streak against the Blue and Orange.
 
The two teams combined to throw 14 different pitchers on Tuesday night, with Nic Garcia picking up the win to improve to 2-0. Matt Bergandi earned a four-out save on just 19 pitches, collecting a pair of strikeouts along the way.  
 
FPU mustered just three hits at the plate with Anderson and Arkelian combining for four RBI. The Sunbirds were able to turn eight walks and three Otter errors into seven stolen bases, the best single-game total since a 16-4 victory against Academy of Art in 2014.
 
Fresno Pacific is back in action on Thursday, when they head south to take on #5 Azusa Pacific for the first of four PacWest Conference games. First pitch from hitter-friendly APU Baseball Field is slated for 6:00 p.m.     
 
"APU is good at home and they're on a roll, but if we can work down in the zone and keep them in the park, we have a chance," Hirschkorn said. "We've had a lot of good battles over the years with those guys, so I'm really looking forward to it."