AZUSA, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific baseball team hit the road on Saturday, taking on Azusa Pacific in a non-conference doubleheader. The Cougars won the opener 6-3 before finishing the series with a 16-2 victory. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A single off the bat of Nick Dodd gave the Sunbirds the first run of the day in the third inning, but the Cougars answered with two runs in the home half to take their first lead of the day. 
• FPU tied the game in the sixth on an RBI groundout, and APU again followed suit, this time by way of a Joseph Kim three-run shot to right that put the Cougars in front 5-2.
• Dodd belted a solo homer to lead off the eighth, with Kim slugging his second homer of the day in the Cougars' last trip to the plate. 
• The series finale got out of hand quickly, as Azusa Pacific racked up eight runs on eight base hits in the second inning. 
• Jared Aguilar hit a homer in the fourth to get the Sunbirds on the scoreboard.
• The Cougars' home-field advantage struck again in a big way in the fifth, as the Brick and Black put up their second eight-run frame of the day. 

 
STATS FROM THE DAY:

• Four Sunbirds (Dodd, Michael Warkentin, Garrett Cooper, Gavin VanGronigen) were each credited with a multi-hit performance in Saturday's Game 1. 
• Brady Crow picked up eight outs in relief of Nic Boatman, striking out three Cougar hitters and surrendering just two hits. 
• Tyler Rumbaugh was the bright spot for the FPU pitching staff in Game 2, tossing the final four outs and fanning two. 

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Cooper and Dodd have both reached base in four straight games.
• Aguilar's homer was his fourth of the year, tying him for second in the league. The top five on the league leaderboard are all from either APU or FPU. 

 
UP NEXT:

• FPU returns to PacWest Conference action on Thursday, when they head to the Bay Area to take on Holy Names. First pitch of the doubleheader is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

 
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