FRESNO, Calif. - The Fresno Pacific Sunbirds (9-8, 4-6 PacWest) dropped a pair of games to #8 Westmont College (15-2, 10-0 PacWest) Friday night at Dan Martin Stadium.  Both games began with early leads for the 'Birds, but the nationally-ranked, West Region-leading Warriors were able to slug their way to victory with a series of deep blasts.  Both teams came into the series with momentum, having combined to win their previous 16 games played before squaring off on the FPU Diamond.
 
 
GAME ONE
 
The first contest began with the Sunbirds taking an early lead in the first inning when Chris Clement homered to right, driving in one run. Trent Mallonee and Aaron Martinez Jr. followed with singles but were unable to come around, and the 'Birds held a 1-0 lead after one.
 
The lead was short-lived though, as the Warriors would plate a pair to take the lead in the second.  Trey Dunn led off with a double, and later scored when FPU starter Josiah O'Bannon threw a wild pitch catcher Jordan Smith couldn't contain.  In the next at bat, another O'Bannon wild pitch would plate Jack Bollengier making it 2-1 Warriors.
 
Both teams would trade good pitching until the fifth inning, when the bats would heat up again.  Westmont extended their lead to 4-1 thanks to a deep two-run blast off the bat of Michael Soper over the right field wall.  The Sunbirds responded in the bottom with a strong offensive effort.  Mallonee reached on an error and, along with Martinez and Austin Cappas, loaded the bases.  Roman Rosales then delivered a key hit over the head of the leaping Westmont first baseman into the right field corner, driving in Mallonee and Martinez.  Tejean Smith was up next and reached on a fielder's choice, knocking in Cappas for an unearned run and tying the contest up 4-4.
 
Reliever Jake Turley came in to replace O'Bannon in the seventh, and with two outs gave up a single to Soper before surrendered a towering shot to Bryce McFeely that all nine Sunbirds knew was gone the second it left the barrel.  The two-run blast cleared the left field wall with room to spare, landing on the courts at the Haak Tennis Complex.  
 
Now trailing by two in the bottom of the seventh, the 'Birds had Mallonee on third with no outs thanks to a walk and advacning on two wild pitches.  With Martinez aboard, Cappas hit into a double play that plated Mallonee to cut the gap to one.  But the danger would end there when Rosales was out on a come-backer to the pitcher.
 
The Sunbirds had opportunities in the eighth and ninth innings, but despite a double by pinch hitter Jacob Solorio and hits by Martinez, they were unable to score further. Game one of the series went to the Warriors, 6-5.
 
The Sunbirds' pitching staff displayed a varied performance in their game against the Warriors.  O'Bannon pitched six innings, allowing five hits and four earned runs while striking out three and walking four.  Turley took the loss, giving up three hits and two earned runs in 2/3 of an inning.  Austin Watson delivered 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, surrendering no hits and walking one batter.  Matt Bettencourt closed the game with a clean inning, allowing one hit and one walk but no runs.
 
 
GAME TWO
 
The scheduled seven-inning nightcap got started just as the lights above Dan Martin Stadium began to take effect over the setting Fresno sun.   For the second game in a row, the long ball got the 'Birds started early.  In the bottom of the second Cappas drove a shot far over the right field wall to make it 1-0.  Tejean Smith doubled and came around to score thanks to an error on the Westmont shortstop that allowed Gabe Henderson to get aboard.  The inning would end with FPU on top 2-0.
 
Tim Ruiz got the start for the Sunbirds and was dominant through three innings, retiring the first nine Westmont hitters in order.  But Ruiz's perfect night wouldn't last long though, as the fourth inning saw a shift in momentum from the hot-hitting, eighth-ranked Warriors.  Leadoff man Daniel Patterson singled up the middle and Soper walked, bringing McFeely to the plate, who homered earlier in game one.  Westmont's first baseman launched a Ruiz fastball an astonishing 428 feet deep over the left field wall that would give Westmont their first lead of the game.  Dunn would make it back-to-back dingers, following up McFeely with a solo shot just over the head of Clement in left center.  It was Westmont's fourth homer of the day and their PacWest-leading 29th of the season.  Grant Yzermans and Jesse Di Maggio would reach for the Warriors, and Ruiz's night would be over.  Josh Moreno came in to stop the bleeding but walked Colin Callahan to load the bases and hit Patterson to plate Westmont's fifth and final run of the inning.  They would do all their damage in the inning, bring 11 players to bat in the process.
 
The Sunbirds' defense tightened, highlighted by a bang-bang double play to strike out Patterson at the plate and get Callahan out trying to steal second.  Reliever Cameron Gallardo got the swing-and-miss from Patterson before catcher Ethan Tsui combined with the second baseman Henderson to tag out Callahan well short of the bag. 
 
Down the stretch, the Sunbirds worked to get back into the game but were unable to convert hits into runs.  Mallonee consistently reached base, going 3-4 in the game with three singles, but the team could not capitalize further.  The second and final game of the night ended 5-2 to Westmont. 
 
Ruiz pitched 3 1/3 innings, allowing five earned runs on four hits while striking out one and walking two, taking the loss.  Moreno contributed 2/3 of an inning without allowing a hit or earned run, though he issued two walks and hit a batter.  Gallardo pitched three innings of scoreless relief, surrendering five hits to go with two K's and no walks.
 
 
UP NEXT
 
The 'Birds will have two chances to crack Westmont's current 14-game win streak on Saturday, with a doubleheader scheduled for first pitch at noon.   The second game will begin roughly 30 minutes after the completion of the first game.  Both games will be simulcast on 790 ESPN Fresno and the PacWest Network. 
 
 
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