AZUSA, Calif. -- Eagles Baseball hit the road for a non-conference four game series against Azusa Pacific with the first two games held in Azusa. Despite getting an early lead, Concordia fell short in later innings and dropped game one, 8-2. 

Two-time PacWest defending champion Azusa Pacific received seven first-place votes and was the preseason favorite to win the PacWest in 2019. The Cougars have four Preseason All-PacWest selections returning to the roster after a second place finish in the NCAA West Region in 2018 with a 41-11 overall record.

Brett Vansant started on the mound for CUI and pitched through five innings. The junior right-hander struck out six cougars and allowed just 3 earned runs in his Thursday outing. Ren Martin pitched 2.1 innings out of the bullpen, allowed three hits, and struck out two cougars.

All three hits the Eagles produced came in the top of the first inning. Haloa Dudoit singled through the right side and was advanced to second on a balk. Matt Lautz launched a home run to left field to score Dudoit and gave Concordia a 2-0 lead. Next at the plate was Jair Donovan, who singled to right field and was left on base for the Eagles final hit of the game.
 
APU battled back in the bottom of the first with a solo home run to right-center from Tovalin. The equalizing run didn't come until the third inning in the similar form, a solo home run, this time by Gomez. The Cougars stole the lead in the fourth with a two-run home run to lead Concordia 4-2.

It wasn't until the eighth inning that APU widened the margin, tacking on three runs to seal the Eagles fate at 8-2.

Up Next

Eagles Baseball continues on the road with game two of a four-game non-conference series against Azusa Pacific. First pitch is scheduled for Friday, March 1 at 5 p.m.