FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
By Jacob Norling
February 26, 2021
 
(AZUSA, Calif.) Westmont's eight-game winning streak was snapped on Friday as the #13 Warriors (9-4, 4-0) had a forgettable day, losing 16-5 to the Azusa Pacific Cougars (1-0).
 
After a four-game sweep of San Diego Christian to start Golden State Athletic Conference play, the Warriors played the first of five non-conference games scheduled with the Cougars. The teams are scheduled to play two more games in Azusa on Saturday, before the Cougars visit the Warriors at home on March 9 and 16.
 
One of the few bright spots of Friday's game happened in the bottom of the first, when Alex Stufft made a spectacular play with runners at the corners and nobody out.
 
Kruger, after allowing back-to-back hits to start the day, was faced with Azusa's most dangerous hitter, Osvaldo Tovalin. Tovalin shot a line drive that appeared ticketed for the left field line when Westmont third-baseman Alex Stufft dove to his right, and snagged the liner in the air. Stufft then continued diving to his right, slapping his glove on the third base bag before Azusa's Aaron Roose could get back to the base, resulting in an exciting double play early.
 
The excitement was short-lived for the Warriors, however. Kruger allowed back-to-back singles again to start the second-inning, and this time he wasn't so lucky. With two outs and only one run in for the Cougars, the Warriors had Azusa left fielder Casey Dykstra picked-off, but an errant throw allowed the inning to continue, which led to eight more runs coming in with two outs.
 
Westmont head coach Robert Ruiz pointed out the missed opportunity as an obvious turn in the game, saying, "In that situation we caught him and just missed the pick, and everything just unfolded from there. And credit to those guys, they took advantage of every opportunity they were given."
 
In the second-inning, the Cougars ended up batting around, scoring their first six runs on seven singles. Azusa finally broke into the extra-base hit column on a two-run triple by Evan Banks, and a batter later Kruger's afternoon was done early.
 
Coach Ruiz, in regards to his starter, said, "Jamie stayed in the fight. He was attacking hitters and every single ball they hit seemed to find a hole. Sometimes the game can unravel like that, and you just chalk it up to a bad day and move on to get ready for the next one."
 
Following Kruger's departure, the Westmont bullpen also struggled to hold the Cougars at bay, allowing another seven runs over the final six innings.
 
Alex Blasyk and Jeremiah Canada provided the most efficient innings out of the Warriors pen, with each striking out a pair in the seventh and eighth innings, without allowing an earned run.
 
The Warriors offense struggled to get going early, not putting their first runs on the board until the fifth inning, when they already found themselves in a 12-run hole. Westmont later added a run in the sixth, eighth, and ninth innings.
 
Josh Rego was the only Warrior to tally multiple hits, as he had a single and a double to go along with an RBI. Drew Bayard, Robbie Haw, and late-game substitution Renn Duncan each collected a double, accounting for the rest of Westmont's extra-base hits.
 
"I hope tomorrow we can put together some good at bats." Said Coach Ruiz. "It'd be nice to really get the offense rolling, and earlier than we have lately. But, I did think we put together some good at bats late, and we stayed competitive at the plate through the last pitch of the game."
 
Coach Ruiz went on to say, "There's a lot for us to learn this weekend. It's still early in the season, it's our first road series, and it's a great test against a great team that's going to prepare us for two upcoming weeks on the road in conference play. So, tomorrow we have a lot to learn, like how do we beat a good team on the road, how do we keep ourselves in a ballgame, how do we minimize extra bases? There's a lot we can still get out of this weekend."
 
The Warriors will be quick to turn the page, looking forward to a reunion with Corey Dawson on Saturday. Dawson, who spent the last four years in a Westmont uniform, is utilizing his final year of eligibility at Azusa while pursuing an MBA. Dawson will likely make his Cougars debut on Saturday, in the back half of the doubleheader.
 
The first pitch of game one on Saturday is scheduled for 2:00 PM. Spectators will not be permitted to attend, in accordance with local and state mandates. However, fans can follow along at https://athletics.apu.edu/watch/?Live=138&type=Live on the Azusa Pacific website.