WAIPAHU, Hawaii — Fresno Pacific baseball edged Chaminade not once, but twice in the Saturday doubleheader. The 'Birds got things started with a thrilling 9–8 victory that went into extra innings and followed it up with a 7–5 victory at Hans L'Orange Field.
GAME 1 | FPU 9, CUH 8
In the first seven-inning game, the Sunbirds capitalized on five hit-by-pitches and three doubles to secure the conference win, overcoming a third-inning six-run surge by Chaminade.
Freshman
Zach Simmon started on the mound for the 'Birds and neither team conceded runs in the first few innings. In the third inning,
Chris Clement wailed the ball to left field, bringing home
Eric Wilson for the first run of the day.
Aaron Martinez Jr. collected his third double of the series, allowing
Darryl Dilworth Jr. to make it home, bringing it to 2-0. However, the Silverswords were able to tie it back up, applying pressure to the 'Birds. With bases loaded,
Andrew Stalnaker came in as relief for Simmon, hoping to minimize the damage. Chaminade didn't give him a chance to settle in as the home team managed two base hits, making it 6-2.
Chaminade struggled at the top of the fourth as a stellar hit by
Tejean Smith and two back-to-back hit by pitches loaded the bases with one out. A high bouncer to third base by lead batter
Gabe Henderson, allowed two runners to make it home, 4-6. Dilworth scored on a Silversword error, where the catcher threw it to third hoping to catch the Sunbirds second baseman stealing but ended up sailing it down the line. The seventh inning saw Fresno Pacific tie the game at 7–7. Another fielding error allowed
Holden Hirschkorn to reach base, and after a single by Henderson,
Titus Wheelock's sacrifice fly brought in Hirschkorn. Soon after,
Alex Lopez followed with an RBI single to score Henderson.
In the eighth inning, Wilson was hit by a pitch, advanced on a sacrifice bunt, and eventually scored on Martinez's RBI walk, tying the game again at 8–8. Chaminade matched with a run of its own in the bottom of the inning. The Sunbirds took the lead in the ninth inning when Lopez doubled, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Smith, and scored on
Vincent Robinson's RBI triple. The final score was 9–8 in favor of Fresno Pacific.
GAME 2 | FPU 7, CUH 5
Fresno Pacific took an early lead in the second inning when Martinez was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on Wheelock's single. Hirschkorn brought Martinez home with a sacrifice fly, giving the Sunbirds a 1–0 lead after two innings.
In the fifth inning, the Sunbirds'
Brennan Johnson doubled down the right field line, followed by Clement's triple to center field, which allowed Johnson to score. Henderson's fielder's choice brought Clement home, putting the Sunbirds ahead 3–1. However, Chaminade responded with two runs, leveling the score at 3–3 through five innings.
Fresno Pacific regained the lead in the sixth inning. After singles by Wheelock and Hirschkorn, Johnson hit a three-run homer down the left field line, extending the lead to 6–3. It was the second career home run for the freshman! Chaminade added a run in their half, making it 6–4 after six innings. In the seventh, Henderson doubled to left center and scored on Wheelock's single through the left side, increasing the lead to 7–4. Chaminade managed to score one more run, but Fresno Pacific held on for a 7–5 victory.
On the mound,
Dustin Tinsley pitched 6 2/3 innings for the Sunbirds, allowing 15 hits and 5 earned runs while striking out three batters.
Fresno Pacific baseball, the PacWest Team of the Week, is 18-15 overall and 13-8 in PacWest play. The team is ranked third in conference after the doubleheader, trailing behind Point Loma and Westmont. The 'Birds have their longest win streak yet this season with seven consecutive games under their belt.
NEXT UP: The 'Birds wrap up the series against Chaminade on Sunday, March 30 at 8:30 pm Pacific Time.
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