By Ron Smith
April 12, 2024
 
(AZUSA, Calif.) Behind six home runs and stellar pitching, #17 Westmont Baseball (28-9-3, 19-2-1) claimed a pair of victories in Friday's PacWest doubleheader against the Cougars of Azusa Pacific (17-21, 12-9). The Warriors scored five times in the 10th inning of game one to prevail 9-4. In the late afternoon game, the Warriors won by a score of 11-3.
 
Westmont jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning of the first game. With Michael Soper at second and Liam Critchett at first, Trey Dunn pounded a ball over the left-centerfield fence for a three-run home run. Then Andrew Guidara scorched a ball over the right field fence for a solo home run.
 
The Warriors' 4-0 lead held up until the bottom of the fifth when a sacrifice fly by George Christison drove in Omar Lopez, making it a 4-1 game.
 
The Cougars added two more runs in the seventh to pull within a run. With men on second and third and one away, Allan Camarillo delivered a sacrifice fly to center field, driving in Will Medina. Then, Christison earned his second RBI of the game with a double to right that scored Lopez.
 
A lead-off home run in the bottom of the eighth by Cade Marshman tied the game at four. It was the only run that Joey Rico allowed. The freshman reliever entered in the bottom of the seventh and pitched the rest of the game.
 
Bryan Peck had started the game for the Warriors. He went six and one-third innings, allowing three runs on five hits. He struck out five and walked just one.
 
Neither team scored in the ninth, sending the game into extra innings, or rather, an extra inning.
 
Three 10th-inning home runs by Warrior hitters resulted in five runs. Patterson started the party with a lead-off home run to right. Bollengier and McFeely reached via walks and took second and third on a passed ball. That is when Soper stepped to the plate and blasted a three-run home run to right field. Two outs later, Dunn connected for his second solo home run of the game.
 
Rico returned to the mound in the bottom of the 10th and retired the side in order to secure the win both for himself and for the team. In three and one-third innings, Rico allowed one run on two hits, struck out six and did not allow a walk.
 
Ryan Humphreys took the mound for the Warriors in the second game and pitched a masterpiece. The left-hander did not allow a hit until there were two outs in the fifth inning. Humphreys finished the inning by striking out Danny Yanez, his seventh of the game.
 
The Warriors spotted the Cougars a run in the bottom of the first inning, surrendering an unearned run on three errors. The Cougar lead did not last long, however.
 
With one away in the top of the second, Dunn reached on a single to center, then advanced to second when Tanner Beltowski singled to left. When Tyler McEvoy walked, the bases were loaded for Colin Callahan
 
Callahan sent a ground ball to first and was out on an unassisted play by Rasumussen, the Cougars' first baseman. Rasmussen fired home in hopes of a double play. Dunn reached home, but the home plate umpire delayed his call. With Dunn five feet from the plate, Azusa's catcher, Carson Collett ran to Dunn and tagged him, prompting the umpire to finally call Dunn out.
 
Dunn and Westmont's head coach Tyler LaTorre protested that Dunn had touched the plate. The games' three umpires met in the infield to confer. After doing so, they reversed the call, indicating that Dunn was safe and awarding the Warriors a run scored.
 
The inning continued with two outs, McEvoy on second, Beltowski at third and Patterson at the plate. The third baseman sent a two-RBI single up the middle, resulting in a 3-1 Westmont lead.
 
Westmont added eight more runs in the top of the third to go up 11-1. After Soper led off the inning with a single to right, Snyder singled to left, advancing Soper to third. A single by Beltowski to left, drove in Soper and moved Snyder to second. After McEvoy walked to load the bases, Callahan singled to right field, bringing home Snyder and keeping the bases full of Warriors.
 
Westmont's sixth run came on a sacrifice fly by Patterson to center field that advanced McEvoy to third. Bollengier reached when he was hit by a pitch, loading the bases for McFeely who picked up an RBI with a walk.
 
That brought up Soper who slugged a grand slam to right field, clearing the bases and making it an 11-1 lead.
 
The Cougars would add a run in the sixth and another in the seventh, but it was too little, too late.
 
Humphreys improved to 5-1 on the year, going five innings. He allowed one run on one hit. Manny Soto pitched the sixth and Josh Hickey took the mound for the seventh. Both relievers gave up one run on two hits.
 
With the wins, Westmont increased its lead in the PacWest Standing to two games over Point Loma Nazarene (18-5-1, 29-8-1). Azusa Pacific is in third place, seven games back of the Warriors.
 
Westmont and Azusa Pacific were scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday at Russ Carr Field, but the threat of rain has postponed the games until Monday. First pitch will be at noon.