BURNED BY THE SUNBIRDS
5/6/2008 7:00:00 AM | Baseball
AZUSA, Calif. --- California Baptist had 15 hits, its third highest output of the season, but strangely enough it wasn't nearly enough as the Lancers fell, 15-5, to Fresno Pacific in the opening round of the NAIA Region II Baseball Tournament Tuesday at Azusa Pacific.
The loss puts the Lancers in the loser's bracket of the six-team, double-elimination tournament. They play Concordia, which lost 13-3 to tournament-host Azusa Pacific. First pitch is Wednesday at 11 a.m. CBU is now 30-21 overall after suffering their first opening-round loss since 2005.
The Sunbirds, making their first-ever postseason appearance, improve to 35-12 and advance into the winner's bracket to play the winner of Biola and Point Loma Nazarene.
It appeared as though the Lancers were primed and ready for an upset of the second-seed and No. 10-ranked Sunbirds as they exploded for four hits, including two doubles, in the first five batters. The only problem was that they had just one run to show for it on a Steve Goins RBI double and then left the bases loaded. It was a sign of things to come.
By the time they were done hitting in the fourth, the Lancers had chased GSAC Pitcher of the Year Chris Schwinden from the game and led 5-3, and again seemed ready to blow the game open. They didn't score again.
Right after the Lancers took their two-run lead, the Sunbirds immediately snatched control with a six-run fourth to take a 9-5 lead and never looked back. They got plenty of help from the Lancers, who committed two costly errors, including one with two outs. The Sunbirds led 6-5 with two outs when Cory Allen got Joey Norwood to hit a grounder to first that skipped off the glove of Levi Garrett to keep the inning alive. Case Rigby then made the Lancers pay with a three-run shot to deep center.
In the first five innings, the Lancers had 13 of their 15 hits but failed to cash in, scoring just five runs and leaving 12 on base.
Meanwhile, the Sunbirds took full advantage of their opportunities. Jacob Burns was 5-for-5 and had three straight RBI singles in the fourth, fifth and sixth. Casey Padgett was 3-for-5 and had an RBI single in the seventh. Josh Jackson was 3-for-4 with an RBI single in the sixth.
Justin Keeney was 2-for-6 and hit a two-run homer in the eighth that finished it off and completed the mercy-ruled victory.
Allen gave up nine runs (four earned) and nine hits in four innings. Schwinden gave up four earned runs, nine hits and three walks in 3.1 innings. In 16 previous innings against the Lancers, Schwinden gave up just two runs.
Kelyn Schellenberg worked the final 4.2 innings, giving up just one run, to pick up the win for the Sunbirds.
Brandon Peters was 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Goins was 2-for-4. J.P. Lapointe was 2-for-4 as well with his fourth home run of the season that brought the Lancers within 3-2 in the third.
