AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific picked up a win on the first day of the NCAA Baseball West Regional on Thursday. No. 2 APU advanced to a winner’s bracket game against No. 4 UC San Diego on Friday at 7 p.m. No. 5 California Baptist meets No. 1 Chico State in an elimination game at 11 a.m. No. 3 Dixie State faces No. 6 Cal Poly Pomona in a must-win game at 3 p.m.
Azusa Pacific 3 – California Baptist 1
APU beat CBU in the first game of the day, 3-1, with all four runs coming on home runs.
Michael Staudinger opened the scoring in the second inning with a sole shot to right field.
Bryce Macy tied it up with a solo blast to right of his own in the fourth inning. In the sixth inning, a two-out single by
Pablo O’Connor kept the inning alive for APU, and
Justin Gomez made it pay off with a two-run blast to right.
Billy Oxford went the distance for APU, allowing six hits and one walk, and striking out seven. He worked out of a jam in the ninth inning, as CBU put runners on first and second with two outs, but Oxford closed the game with an eight-pitch strikeout.
UC San Diego 5 – Dixie State 2
Dixie State suffered a 5-2 regional-opening loss to UC San Diego in the nightcap, putting the Trailblazers one loss away from elimination. UCSD went ahead 3-0 in the third inning on a three-run home run to left field. Dixie State took a run back in the bottom half of the inning on a sac fly by
Logan Porter. Another run came off the deficit in the sixth inning when Porter hit a solo homer of his own to right field.
The Tritons added two more runs in the eighth inning on a two-out pinch-hit double. Dixie State went down in order in the bottom of the eighth, but two singles brought the tying run to the plate with two outs in the ninth.
Tyler Baker hit a long drive deep into right field, that was caught few feet in front of the fence to end the threat.