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2/13/2026 | 11:00 AM


Feb. 13 (Fri) / 11:00 AM


at Westmont

History

SEASIDE, Calif. – The Cougars delivered a thrilling 5-4 extra-innings victory over No. 14 Cal State Monterey Bay in the finale of their four-game road series at the Otter Sports Complex on Saturday afternoon. 

After tough losses in the previous games, the Cougars battled through a rugged Otter defense in a tightly contested matchup that stretched to 14 innings before APU delivered the final blow. 

How it Happened: 

The Cougars grabbed an early lead in the first inning when Jacob Hayes tripled to score Tyler Preece, who had been hit by a pitch earlier in the inning. Monterey Bay responded in the second, taking a 2-1 lead on a two-run single by Xander Sielken. Blake Hagerty evened the score with an RBI double in the third, and true freshman Matt Kurkdjian later scored on a sacrifice fly to give the Cougars a 3-2 advantage.

The Otters answered back, however, as both teams were held scoreless for four innings until Jason Del Villar and Andrew Lehmann combined to tie the game 3-3, setting the stage for an extended battle. APU briefly regained the lead in the 10th inning on an RBI single from Noah Lane, scoring Jacob Freer, but Monterey Bay answered again, tying the game on a balk in the bottom of the inning. 

The breakthrough finally came at the top of the 14th inning after a tense back-and-forth that saw both bullpens lock in. The Cougars loaded the bases with two outs, putting pressure squarely on Otters pitcher Holden Pimentel. Jacob Freer worked a patient at-bat and drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the go-ahead run. APU then held on to the 5-4 lead with closer Kaleb Tenn shutting the door to seal one of the longest games of the season thus far. 

On the Mound:
APU’s pitching staff delivered a resilient performance across 14 innings, striking out 12 hitters while allowing just four runs against a nationally ranked Otter offense. After starter Joel Tornero battled through the early innings, the Cougars leaned heavily on the bullpen, which combined to hold Monterey Bay to just one run over the final six innings of play. Senior Matthew Brock earned the win with three scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit, no walks, and striking out six Otters. Kaleb Tenn retired every batter he faced and shut the door on the Otters to lock down the save.  

Inside the Box Score: 
Hits: APU 16 | MB 5 
Errors: APU 1 | MB 0 

Key APU Hitters: 
– Noah Lane: 5-for-5, 1 run, 1 RBI, 2B
– Jacob Freer: 2-for-4, 1 run, 1 RBI 
– Jacob Hayes: 2-for-4, 1 run, 1 RBI, 3B
– Blake Hagerty: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 2 SB, 2 BB, 2B

Pitching: 
– Joel Tornero: 5.0 IP, 2 R, 5 K
– Matthew Brock (W, 1-0): 3.0 IP, 0 R, 6 K 
– Kaleb Tenn (SV, 1): 1.0 IP, 0 R, 0 K

Up Next: 

The Cougars travel to Santa Barbara for their first conference series of the season against Westmont on Friday, February 13th. The doubleheader is scheduled for 11 A.M. and 2 P.M. at Russell Carr Field.