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bsb after the huddle
Mallory Friesen
17
Winner CUI CUIBASE 28-21
7
FPU FPU_26 25-22
Winner
CUI CUIBASE
28-21
17
Final
7
FPU FPU_26
25-22
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H E
CUI CUIBASE 0 4 0 0 3 1 5 4 17 19 0
FPU FPU_26 0 0 3 0 0 3 1 0 7 11 1

W: Shane Timmons (9-2) L: Bettencourt, Matt (2-2)

4
Winner CUI CUIBASE 29-21
2
FPU FPU_26 25-23
Winner
CUI CUIBASE
29-21
4
Final
2
FPU FPU_26
25-23
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H E
CUI CUIBASE 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 6 0
FPU FPU_26 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 3 1

W: Matthew Kaiser (6-5) L: Cabral, Cruz (5-2)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Sunbirds Grind Through First Doubleheader with Golden Eagles

FRESNO, Calif. - Heading into one of their last regular season series, the Fresno Pacific baseball team tested their mettle against Concordia University Irvine during Friday's doubleheader, hoping to knock a game off the No. 2 team in the conference. The Sunbirds were outscored in both games, but an initial 2-0 lead in the second provided the wind under their wings for three consecutive innings.

GAME 1 | FPU 7, CUI 17

In the first inning, Matthew Bettencourt started on the mound for the 'Birds. Shortstop Gabe Henderson and first baseman Titus Wheelock, the PacWest Player of the Week, took care of a ground out double play for the first two outs, while catcher Alex Lopez remained vigilant behind the plate for the foul out. The Golden Eagles struck first in the second inning, sending a runner home on a double down the right line. A great catch by Henderson led to the first out of the inning, but three additional runs made it CUI 4 - FPU 0.

In the third, freshman Drew Petty came in as relief for Bettencourt, adopting two Golden Eagles on base with one out. A clean Sunbird 4-6-3 double play ended the inning, keeping the score at 4-0. The 'Birds scored in the bottom of the third! After Darryl Dilworth Jr.'s intense at bat, Eric Wilson singled through the right side to advance Dilworth to third. Henderson's next single brought Dilworth home, 4-1. Aaron Martinez Jr. was next up for FPU, driving a ball to the right wall for the 2RBI double, closing the inning with a 4-3 deficit.

Even though Concordia scored three runs in the fifth and a homer in the sixth, FPU's centerfielder Dilworth Jr. made the perfect catch, not once but twice, to rob a home run opportunity from the visiting team. In the bottom of the sixth, Tejean Smith doubled down the left field line, just missing foul territory, to advance Lopez into scoring position. Batting in the ninth spot, Holden Hirschkorn hit the 2RBI single, making it FPU 5 – CUI 8. Dilworth's own double brought Hirschkorn home, applying immense pressure to the Golden Eagles who still hadn't gotten an out. By the end of the inning, the Sunbirds had shrunk the Golden Eagles lead to a two-point advantage, 8-6.

The seventh inning wasn't the best for the 'Birds as CUI ran away with three runs off an error in right field and several other hits to jump ahead 13-6. After capturing four more runs, the 10-run mercy rule was applied in the eighth, ending the first game 17-7.
 
GAME 2 | FPU 2, CUI 4

Game two was like night and day in comparison to the first. Returning to the mound, Cruz Cabral opened the game for the 'Birds, rivaling CUI's PacWest Pitcher of the Week. Despite many tense moments, neither team got on the board until Martinez's two-run homer in the fourth inning, taking the first Sunbird lead of the day! Concordia captured their first hit of the game in the fifth inning, but Cabral caught a line drive right at him to end the Golden Eagles' late momentum, leaving two runners on base.

Concordia attempted a comeback in the sixth but amazing plays by FPU, including Wheelock's jumping tag at first and Chris Clement's catch on the track, kept them at a two-point deficit. Another Golden Eagle double play saved the visiting team from the 'Birds in the bottom of the sixth.

Hoping to get a shutout, the 'Birds entered the final inning with palpable intensity. However, the energy shifted as CUI tied it up with two back-to-back 2RBI singles to take the lead, 4-2.

The Sunbirds tried their best to rally by sending in Dylan Senneway as relief for Cabral, who secured two strikeouts to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately, Concordia kept Fresno Pacific scoreless in the bottom of the seventh for the 4-2 victory.

Fresno Pacific is 25-23 overall and 20-16 in conference play. The Blue and Orange dropped to fifth in the PacWest standings, trailing behind Point Loma (the PacWest regular season title holder), Concordia, Hawaii Pacific, and Jessup. The top four teams in the conference will punch their ticket to the PacWest Baseball Championships held May 6th-8th at Westmont College (Santa Barbara).

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