Westmont men's baseball had a 4-4 tie going into the bottom of the seventh inning in the second game of a doubleheader at Azusa Pacific on Saturday, but a walk-off grand slam by the Cougars' right fielder Eddie Crespo, sent the Warriors home after being swept by Azusa Pacific (14-1, 7-1). Westmont lost the first game of the twin bill by a score of 14-3.
Jon White (0-4) pitched a complete game for the Warriors in the second game, allowing eight runs, only two of which were earned, in six and one-third innings of work. White walked four batters and struck out four.
The Warriors (1-11, 0-8) scored first in game two on a RBI-single in the top of the second inning by sophomore catcher Nate Dreesmann. Freshman left fielder Luke Montzingo walked to lead off the inning and reached second on a sacrifice bunt by junior designated hitter Eric Gaustad. Dreesmann's drove Montzingo home on a single to left-center.
After Azusa Pacific scored two in the bottom of the third inning to post a 2-1 lead, the Warriors came right back in the top of the fourth to post two runs of their own. Junior second baseman Phillip Valle opened the innings with a single to center field and was advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman first baseman Jason Younker. Montzingo then ripped a double to left center to score Valle. A single by Gaustad to center field advanced Montzingo to third base. Dreesmann then grounded to short but reached on a fielders' choice which allowed Montzingo to score.
The Cougars scored a run in the bottom half of the fourth to tie the game, and then recorded one more in the bottom of the fifth to go up 4-3. But in the top of the seventh, Westmont pulled even when Dreesmann crossed the plate on a RBI-single by junior shortstop Anthony Martinez. Dreesmann had reached first with a one-out single to right field and advanced to second when senior third baseman Andy Dude received a walk. A sacrifice bunt by sophomore center fielder Derrick Fugitt advanced Dreesmann to third and Dude to second with two away. With the game on the line, Martinez stepped to the plate and secured an infield single to force the Cougars to bat in the bottom half of the seventh inning in a seven inning game.
Unfortunately for the Warriors, the bottom of the seventh didn't go as planned. After the first two Cougar batters reached on errors, head coach Scott Deck elected to intentionally walk first baseman Brice Cutspec who had doubled in his last at bat. With the bases loaded, left fielder Stephen Gillette grounded to Anthony Martinez at short who threw the ball to Dreesmann to get a force out at home and preserve the 4-4 tie. That's when Crespo, batting in the number nine spot, stepped to the plate and brought and end to the game by sending the ball over the right field fence.
Starting pitcher Jaime Barth (0-2) took the loss for the Warriors in the first game of the day. Barth pitched three innings giving up seven runs on five hits while walking four and striking out four.
Westmont's two runs came in the top of the fourth when Dreesmann drove in right fielder John Evans and Montzingo with a two-out double to left field. Evans and Montzingo reached base on singles back-to-back singles to left.
Westmont will play #23 Biola (7-5, 3-4) on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. On Wednesday the two teams will match up at Russ Carr Field and then on Thursday, they will play on the Biola Campus in La Mirada.
