ALAMEDA, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific baseball team split the final PacWest Conference doubleheader of the year on Saturday, taking the opener against Holy Names 13-11 before falling 3-2 in the series finale. The split means that the Sunbirds will finish the season in second place in the league's NorCal Pod. 
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• FPU started the scoring in the top of the second, with Jack Foote's single to left plating Andrue Lackey from third.
• The Hawks took a 3-1 lead in the home fourth, but the Sunbirds answered with an RBI single off the bat of Michael Warkentin the following inning. 
• Holy Names extended their advantage to 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth, but a Jared Aguilar double gave the Blue and Orange their first lead of the day in the sixth inning. 
• HNU put up seven runs following the stretch to take an 11-4 lead and seemingly overwhelm their guests, but FPU came up big in the top of the eighth inning.
• Lackey put an exclamation mark on FPU's eight-run outburst with a three-run shot to the opposite field, and the Sunbirds carried a 13-11 lead into the final inning. 
• The Hawks went quietly in their half of the ninth, and the Sunbirds were able to pick up the victory in a must-win game. 
• FPU fell behind 2-0 in the first inning of Game 2 before the Hawks extended the lead to 3-0 in the home second. 
• Foote singled home the first Sunbird run of the game in the fifth before a throwing error cut the deficit to just one run later in the inning.
• The Sunbirds were unable to get another baserunner, as the final eight hitters were retired, ending FPU's chances of winning the NorCal Pod. 

 
STATS FROM THE DAY:

• Aguilar picked up three hits in the opener, while four of his teammates added a two-hit performance. 
• School recordholder Nic Boatman picked up the win in relief for FPU, allowing just two hits over the final 2.1 frames. 
• Warkentin and Foote were each credited with two hits in the nightcap, combining for two-thirds of FPU's offense.
• Garrett Cooper went the distance on the mound, picking up five strikeouts along the way.

 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:

• Lackey had reached base in a team-best 17 games prior to Saturday's Game 2.
• Aguilar extended his current hitting streak to eight games.
• Boatman is now just one win shy of tying Daniel Brodie and Josh Medeles for fourth on FPU's career leaderboard in wins. 
• Dating back to the 2019 season, Fresno Pacific is 35-33 in PacWest Conference games. 

 
UP NEXT:

• The Sunbirds will host Point Loma for a non-conference doubleheader on Thursday, with first pitch slated for 12:00 p.m.  

 
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