FRESNO, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific baseball team picked up its' second doubleheader sweep of Simpson in as many days on Saturday, taking the opener 15-2 before wrapping up the series with a 9-7 victory. The Sunbirds improve to 4-0 on the season, marking the program's best start since the 2015 campaign.
 
QUOTABLE:  

• "Sweeps are hard, and it's you have to be a good team to win games. That's the goal every weekend. We learned a lot about our team. We had a lot of new guys and moved a lot of them around, and it was good to see what we look like. We are fortunate in some ways, and we will have to get back to work on Monday. There were a lot of good things for us this weekend, and we know what we need to focus on and improve." - head coach Oscar Hirschkorn

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:  

• Andrue Lackey's two run missile over the right field wall helped FPU jump out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, and hits from Jack Foote and Garrett Cooper pushed Sunbird edge to six runs in the second frame. 
• Three more FPU runs came in to score in the home fourth before the Redhawks finally pushed one across in the top of the fifth. 
• FPU's biggest inning of the game came in the sixth, when Jared Aguilar belted his second homer in as many days to jumpstart a six-run onslaught and break it open to the tune of a 15-1 advantage. 
• Simpson got on the board in the first inning of the series finale, taking its' first lead of the series on a wild pitch. 
• Matt McGrady doubled home a pair in the bottom half to regain the FPU lead, but the Redhawks scratched across two more in the next inning to go back in front 3-2. 
• The bats went right back to work for the Blue and Orange, with Lackey hitting a second moonshot to cap a five-run second. 
• Trent Greene doubled to left-center in the bottom of the third to extend the lead to 9-3. 
• Simpson added two runs in the fourth and two more in the top of the seventh, but the Sunbirds were able to hold on for their second win of the day. 

 
STATS FROM THE DAY:  

• Cole Dyer joined Foote, Lackey and Aguilar as Sunbirds that drove in three runs in Saturday's opener, while Greene and Foote were each credited with three hits.
• Esteban Lizaola earned the win in his season debut, pitching five innings and fanning seven before giving way to the FPU pen. 
• Nic Boatman and Michael Barker each tossed two innings of relief, with neither allowing an earned run to cross the plate. 
• In the nightcap, Lackey, Michael Warkentin and Chase Pinheiro each gave FPU a multi-hit performance. 
• Garrett Cooper allowed two runs over four innings of work on the mound, and Gio Helmuth tossed the final three to record his first career save and preserve Cooper's first win. 

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE: 

• The last time FPU started a season with four straight wins, the Sunbirds went on to win the NCCAA National Championship. 
• The Blue and Orange provided little hospitality for their guests this weekend, outscoring the Redhawks 59-17 over four games. 
• Lackey and Nick Dodd combined for 17 RBI in the first series of the year, matching Simpson's entire offensive output. 
• Eight different arms made an appearance out of the bullpen this weekend for FPU, combining for 14 innings, 24 strikeouts and zero earned runs.

 
UP NEXT:  

• The Sunbirds return to action next Saturday, when they host Academy of Art in the first PacWest Conference doubleheader of the season. Stay tuned to FPUAthletics.com and Sunbird Social for more news and updates. 

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