ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific baseball team opened a four-game PacWest Conference series on Friday afternoon, defeating Holy Names 6-5 in the front end of a doubleheader before falling 9-5 in the nightcap.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP: 
Game 1: Fresno Pacific 6, Holy Names 5 
Game 2: Holy Names 9, Fresno Pacific 5
Records: FPU (12-19, 8-10 PacWest), HNU (13-20, 8-10)
Location: College of Alameda Field | Alameda, Calif. 
Series: FPU leads 22-8
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
• The two teams exchanged zeroes for the first five innings before Brian Hefner got the 'Birds on the board with his fifth home run of the year.    
• Garret Laine opened the seventh with a triple to right-center, and Michael Warkentin singled him home three batters later.   
• Tristen Alvarez followed with an RBI hit of his own, giving the Blue and Orange a 4-0 lead, but the Hawks got a run back in the home half before cutting the deficit to one an inning later. 
• Warkentin and Angel Flores each plated a run in the ninth inning to make it a 6-3 Sunbird lead.
• Holy Names again responded, striking for two runs before an out was recorded, but closer Garrett Cooper bounced back quickly, retiring the next three in order to give FPU the series-opening win. 
• HNU struck first in the nightcap, but a Jarrett Anton double put the Sunbirds back on top in the in second inning.
• The Hawks answered with a run to tie it in the home half, and Matt McGrady returned the favor with an RBI single to left in the third to make it 3-2.
• Holy Names scored six runs in the middle innings before adding an insurance run in the home eighth to make it 9-3.
• Hefner and McGrady each added another RBI in the final frame, but the Sunbirds were forced to settle for the doubleheader split. 
 
STATS FROM THE DAY
• Starter Nic Boatman gave FPU 7.1 strong innings once again, fanning 12 Hawks along the way.  
• Josh Acosta was the first man out of the bullpen, overcoming a hit to finish off the eighth inning.   
• Cooper settled in to record his fifth save of the season after a 1-for-3 effort at the plate as the team's right fielder.  
• Justin Fuson had a rough outing in the nightcap, surrendering four earned runs in just 4.2 innings of work before turning things over to the bullpen.  
• Josue Mendivil did enough to finish the game for the Sunbirds, but only after allowing the final two HNU runs of the evening.   
 
BEYOND THE BOX:
• Ross Dodds has now reached base in ten straight games, the longest active streak on the team. He is the fifth player on the team with a streak that long this season, joining the likes of Alvarez, Aguilar, Hefner and Dylan Lewis. 
• Alvarez and Hefner are tied for the team lead with 11 multi-hit games, while Alvarez has had two games with at least four hits this season.
• Warkentin now leads the team in three-hit games with five.
• Boatman matched Esteban Lizaola's team-best 12 strikeouts in a game this season, one shy of the program record.
 
SOCIAL:
• Twitter - @fpusunbirds
• Instagram - @fpusunbirds 
• Facebook - /FPUathletics
 
UP NEXT:
• The Sunbirds and Hawks are set to wrap up the series with another twin bill on Saturday. First pitch from Alameda is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.