FRESNO, Calif. — Fresno Pacific University rallied after their initial gae against Western Oregon with a a decisive 6-1 victory over the Wolves on Friday morning at Dan Martin Stadium, powered by a four-run first inning and a 10-hit performance. The 'Birds fell short in the second game of the doubleheader, 

GAME 1 | FPU 6, WOU 1
Fresno Pacific took an early lead in the first inning, capitalizing on a series of well-timed plays. Darryl Dilworth Jr. scored on a double from Aaron Martinez Jr., who then advanced to third on a wild pitch. Alex Lopez followed with a double to right field, bringing Martinez home. Chris Clement grounded out to second base, allowing Titus Wheelock to score, and Lopez added another run on a wild pitch, putting the Sunbirds ahead 4-0 after the first inning.

In the fourth inning, Western Oregon managed to get on the board, scoring on an RBI single. However, Fresno Pacific responded as Gabe Henderson doubled and later scored on an error, extending their lead to 5-1 through four innings. The 'Birds added one more run in the sixth inning. Holden Hirschkorn singled and advanced on an error, later scoring on Martinez's single. This solidified FPU's advantage, leading 6-1 after the sixth. Pitcher Chris Nino closed out the ninth inning for the Sunbirds by striking out two batters back-to-back and allowing no hits, ensuring a 6-1 victory over Western Oregon.

Turley earned the win for Fresno Pacific, pitching 6 innings with 6 hits allowed, 1 earned run, and 3 strikeouts without issuing a walk. He faced 23 batters and managed to induce 10 groundouts and 4 flyouts. Henderson recorded five assists and two hits, including a double, while scoring once. Martinez Jr. tallied two runs batted in with two hits, one of which was a double, and scored once himself.

GAME 2 | FPU 4, WOU 7
The Sunbirds lost momentum in the Friday night game against Western Oregon, losing the lead in the second inning when WOU hit a solo homerun to get the Wolves on the board. A two-run double made matters worse for the 'Birds, bringing the deficit to 0-3. It wasn't until the fourth inning that the Blue and Orange started to respond. With bases loaded at the top of the fourth, Carlo Ramirez struck out the batter to break the streak and make it a scoreless inning for the Sunbirds. Aaron Martinez doubled to right and scored on a fielder's choice by Braxton Riley, cutting the deficit to 3–1.

In the fifth inning, WOU extended their lead with two more runs, but FPU was quick to respond with two runs of their own. Ethan Tsui scored on a sacrifice fly from Darryl Dilworth, and Vincent Robinson crossed the plate on a fielder's choice from Martinez, narrowing the gap to 5–3. Although the Wolves had another homer in the sixth, Chris Clement scored on a balk after doubling earlier, keeping the score within reach at 6–4.

The seventh inning had everyone on the edge of their seat. True freshman Zach Simmon had an unforgettable debut as a Sunbird with five consecutive strikeouts, keeping the Wolves scoreless. The opportunity for a walkoff presented itself for the 'Birds with Dilworth Jr., Henderson and Wheelock loading the bases, but the Wolves took care of the final flyout to right field, winning it 4-7.

NEXT UP: Fresno Pacific wraps up the home series against Western Oregon on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 11 am! Come down to Dan Martin Stadium to cheer on your Sunbirds!

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