SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The Eagles completed the 4-game sweep in Saturday's doubleheader at Point Loma Nazarene, extending their win streak to 6 games and improving to 9-7 on the season.
The bats continued to stay red hot in Game 1, as the Eagles scored 14 runs on 14 hits. Over the last 6 games, CUI is averaging 1.27 runs scored
per inning for a total of 61 runs during that stretch. Designated hitter
Cooper Moore continued to tear the cover off the ball, going 4 for 6 with a grand slam and a double, while scoring 3 runs and driving in 5 RBI.
Seniors
Matt Lautz and
Bailey Collins continued to swing hot bats as well, with Lautz scoring 3 runs (single, double, and 2 walks) and Collins scoring 2 runs (2 singles and a double). PacWest Freshman of the Week
Nathan Benefeito also contributed to the offensive outpour, hitting a 2-run home run to right field in the second inning. In total, the Eagles reached base 28 times on 14 hits, 10 walks, and 4 hit by pitches.
Evan Larsen gave the Green & Gold another solid start on the mound, going 5.0 innings while only surrendering 1 earned run. The junior pitcher combined with reliever
Mason Metcalfe to strike out 7 Sea Lion batters, while Metcalfe also picked up his first save of the season in the 14-4 win.
In Game 2, the Eagles were able to complete the 4-game sweep with a 3-0 win over the Sea Lions.
Bailey Collins was involved in all 3 runs that CUI scored, first with a solo home run to right field in the top of the second inning. Then in the top of the fourth, junior catcher
Juan Zuniga drove in Collins for the second run of the game. Collins then hit another solo home run in the top of the sixth, scoring the third and final run. Collins finishes the series with 8 hits (.533 batting average), 3 HR, and 5 RBI.
"Approach-wise I was just trying to keep things simple and swing at good pitches. I've been having a lot of quality at-bats, but not a lot of hits to show for it. So just been trying to keep with it and find ways to help my team. . . This was a huge weekend for us to go out and take care of business. We will continue to bring the momentum and energy into this coming week." - Bailey Collins
Cole Spear was lights out on the mound, throwing a complete game 3-hit shutout. He struck out a season high 6 batters in 7.0 innings on 98 pitches to secure the sweep.
"All the pitches were working today, but the two in particular were the sinker and slider. I just learned the slider this week, so it was nice to have that in the arsenal to keep hitters off balance. The main approach today was to get ahead and keep the ball down in the strike zone to make my defense work." - Cole Spear
"This weekend we were able to throw a ton of quality pitches, take quality at-bats, and play catch defensively. All around the guys brought the energy. . . Moving forward, this weekend gave us the recipe to build on. Our goal will be to continue focusing on winning evey pitch." - Head Coach Joe Turgeon
The Eagles return to action on Friday at Azusa Pacific.
CLICK HERE for the full 2021 CUI baseball schedule.
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