Two solo home runs and three-run
fourth key Cougars to win
LEWISTON, Idaho -
Azusa Pacific
(Calif.) used a pair of solo home
runs and a three-run fourth to beat
Lee (Tenn.) 7-4 in an elimination
game at the 2007 Avista-NAIA World
Series in Lewiston, Idaho.
The Cougars (51-9)
saw three batters record two-hit
outings, led by Brice Cutspec's
2-for-4, two run game. Cutspec also
had an RBI on a solo homer. Matt
Venegas had a pair of RBIs and a run
scored, going 2-for-5, while Stephen
Gillette was 2-for-4 with a pair of
runs scored. Johnny Bravo improved
to 12-0 on the season with
8.1innings and 10 strike outs.
Lee (51-15) ends its
season with three two-hit outings in
the ballgame, as Michael Valadez and
Kyle Sullivan went 2-for-4 and Nick
Hutley was 2-for-3 with a pair of
RBIs and a run scored. Cody Campbell
(11-3) braved the loss for the
Flames, tossing five innings and
giving up five on seven hits. He
struck out four in the loss.
Azusa notched an
early run to take a 1-0 lead in the
bottom of the first, as Venegas
singled to lead off the game for APU
followed by a hit-and-run that moved
the Cougar shortstop to third. Two
batters later, Venegas came home
when Scott Hodsdon lifted a fly ball
to dead centerfield for a sacrifice
fly.
Lee threatened the
count over the next three innings,
but Hodsdon would put the next mark
on the board to begin the fourth
inning, belting his 26th home run of
the season over the left field wall
to extend the lead to 2-0.
The Cougars loaded
the bases with an out recorded later
in the inning when Eddie Crespo
punched a fly ball into left field.
Jeremy Hutslar gloved
the ball and all three APU runners
were held, but in an attempt to gun
down Stephen Gillette getting back
to second base, the ball was
overthrown and slipped into the
outfield, rolling all the way to the
wall and enabling two to score,
making it 4-0 through four innings.
Cutspec provided the
second solo home run to lead off an
Azusa inning in the sixth, giving
the Cougars a 5-0 lead with his 19th
homer of the season.
Azusa Pacific added a pair of
late-game insurance runs in the
eighth, scoring Gillette and Shaun
Lane when Venegas tapped a pitch
through the left side to make it
7-0.
Elvis Sosa spoiled
Bravo's shut-out in the top of the
ninth, slicing into the lead with a
solo home run that got Lee to within
six, 7-1. Lee plated a second run to
force Bravo from the game, as
courtesy runner Hunter Hydas came
across on a Tony Perez double to
make the score 7-2, and Perez would
score a play later when Hutley
hammered Hodsdon's first pitch in
relief over the right field wall to
further slim the lead at 7-4.
Hodsdon fanned
Sullivan for the inning's second
out, and the Cougar
infielder-turned-closer slammed the
door by fanning Shaver to end the
game.
Azusa Pacific moves
through into Tuesday's elimination
bracket to take on the loser of one
of today's two winner's bracket
games at Harris Field.