SAN DIEGO, Calif.- The Fresno Pacific Sunbirds faced off against the Point Loma Sea Lions in a pair of high octane offense games dropping the first in dramatic fashion, but bounced back to take the second Friday afternoon at Carroll B. Land Stadium.
GAME ONE
The Sunbirds were quiet early, held scoreless by Point Loma through two innings. The 'Birds finally broke through in the third when Brett Carrel scored on an Aaron Martinez Jr. single, taking a 1-0 lead. In the fourth, Fresno Pacific added three more, starting with a double by Chris Clement who scored Micah Barkenhagen who had reach after being hit by a pitch. The 'Birds continued to pile it on as Carrel singled to center field scoring Clement and advancing Jordan Smith to third, then Trent Mallonee brought both Carroll and Smith home with the two-RBI double to bring the 'Birds ahead 4-1. Point Loma responded in the sixth, erupting for five runs off starter Connor Semone, including a homer and a pair of doubles to give the Sea Lions back the lead at 5-4.
The Sea Lions piled on in the seventh, scoring five runs off relievers Matt Bettencourt and Joseph Gamber. A two-RBI single capped a rally for the Sea Lions that featured walks and hits, giving Point Loma a commanding 10-4 lead. Fresno Pacific's pitching struggled, allowing nine walks and 14 hits total.
Trailing by six, the Sunbirds mounted an incredible comeback in the eighth. Clement and J. Smith singled, and a wild pitch set up Carrel's walk to load the bases. Mallonee's fielder's choice and Gabe Henderson's ground-out RBI trimmed the gap, followed by Martinez Jr.'s RBI single to make it 10-7. After Solorio was hit by a pitch and another wild pitch, Roman Rosales delivered a bases-clearing three-run double, scoring Barkenhagen, Solorio, and Martinez Jr. to knot the game at 10-10.
The Sea Lions responded in the bottom half of the inning, scoring on a hit by pitch after a single and a pair of costly walks by reliever Tim Ruiz, taking back the lead 11-10.
Back and forth the game continued to go as the 'Birds tied it back up in the ninth 11-11, as they added another run when Henderson singled in pinch-runner Darryl Dilworth Jr., who had advanced on a Carrel sac bunt.
Ruiz kept the Sea Lions off the board in the bottom of the ninth, forcing the game into extra innings.
In the top of the 10th, Rosales and Clement singled, but Nixon and Carrel couldn't drive them in, leaving two on base. In the bottom half, Jack Ryan singled off Ruiz, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error by Nixon. After Ruiz struck out a pair of Sea Lions, a wild pitch allowed Ryan to score the winning run, sealing a 12-11 victory for Point Loma.
Fresno Pacific's 17 hits outpaced Point Loma's 14, but their pitching issued nine walks and a critical wild pitch in the 10th. The Sunbirds' comeback from a 10-4 deficit showcased their fight, but defensive errors and late miscues cost them.
GAME TWO
In game two, the Sunbirds wasted no time, scoring in the first inning. Barkenhagen singled and scored Martinez Jr., giving the 'Birds a 1-0 lead. Point Loma tied it in the bottom half scoring on a single after a hit by pitch by starter Evan Fanconi, who exited after 0.1 innings.
Fresno Pacific erupted for four runs in the third against Point Loma's Branden Jackel. Mallonee singled and scored after Henderson reached on a fielding error followed by a Martinez Jr single and a Solorio single. The inning continued with Barkenhagen getting hit by a pitch to load the bases. Roman Rosales reached on a fielder's choice, scoring Martinez Jr. on a throwing error. A wild pitch then allowed Martinez Jr. to score, pushing the lead to 5-1. Point Loma answered with two runs in the bottom half, as Noah Meffert and Jack Ryan drove in runs with singles, narrowing it to 5-3.
In the fourth, Barkenhagen's RBI single scored Henderson, who had walked and advanced on Martinez Jr.'s hit, making it 6-3. Point Loma clawed back in the fifth when J. Schwartz doubled in Josiah Rodriguez, cutting the deficit to 6-4. Fresno Pacific's bullpen, led by Josh Moreno and Jake Turley, shut down the Sea Lions over the final innings. Turley earned the win (1-1), tossing 4.1 innings, allowing one run on six hits with four strikeouts.
The Sunbird's nine hits and opportunistic play overcame two errors and Point Loma's 12-hit effort. The Sunbirds capitalized on Jackel's struggles (4 IP, 5 ER), while Turley's relief work stifled a late Sea Lions rally.
UP NEXT
Fresno Pacific will be back at Carroll B. Land Stadium tomorrow for another doubleheader with the Sea Lions with first pitch of game one scheduled for 12pm.
