Luke Coffey homered twice on Sunday, powering Westmont baseball to a sweep of Ottawa University of Arizona, 3-2 and 8-0. The Warriors (15-2, 6-2 GSAC), ranked 25th in the NAIA, completed a four-game sweep.
Justin Sanders (3-0) started the first game and went 7.2 innings for the Warriors to earn the win. Sanders allowed two runs, one of which was earned, on five hits. He struck out three and walked one bringing his strikeout total on the season to 18 against just four walks. Through 27 2/3 innings, his ERA is 0.98.
The first run of the game was scored when Coffey, a former Dos Pueblos High star, led off the second inning with a solo blast over the left-field fence. Coffey, who played third base on Sunday, went 3-4 in Game 1 and 2-3 in Game 2 with a total of four RBIs. He’s hit four homers this year and his 5-7 day raised his batting average 53 points from .275 to .328.
OUAZ (8-7, 0-4) tied the game in the top of the fourth on an unearned run. With one away, Austin Shumaker doubled down the right field line. Derek Hayenga reached on an error that also allowed Shumaker to reach third. A sacrifice fly by Chuck Steele brought Shumaker home.
Westmont countered in the bottom of the seventh to retake the lead 2-1. Taylor Bush received a lead-off walk and stole second. Two outs later, Bush came home when Nick Sablock hit a bloop-double down the left field line that fell safely out of the reach of the Spirit’s shortstop, third baseball and left fielder.
Coffey led off again in the sixth inning and this time drove the ball over the scoreboard for his second home run of the game, extending the Warrior advantage to 3-1.
In the top of the eighth, OUAZ threatened to take over the lead. With one away, Estaban Martinez reached on an infield single. Sanders retired Chandler Reynard on a fly ball to right for the second out, but that would be the last batter Sanders would face.
Left-hander pitcher Will Anderson was brought in to face left-handed batter Austin Shumaker who had started the game with a .471 average. Anderson was ahead in the count 1-2, but hit Shumaker with a pitch to put runners on first and second. Anderson then surrendered a single to Hayenga that loaded the bases.
With the game on the line, Bailey Reid was called out of the pen. Reid walked Steele to allow Shumaker to score and pull the Spirit to within one run (3-2). However, OUAZ’ rally would end when Reid got Adrian Salazar to fly out to right field.
In the bottom of the eighth, Coffey pounded a double to right field to give the Warriors runners on second and third with one away. Despite Coffey’s third extra-base hit of the game, the Warriors were unable to cash in the insurance runs before the inning ended.
In the top of the ninth, Reid returned to the mound for the Warriors and set the Spirit down in order to preserve the Warrior win and record his fourth save of the season.
The second game saw Eric Oseguera pitched for the Warriors for the fourth time this season and recorded his first decision (1-0). The right-hander allowed just three hits over five innings of scoreless work. He struck out three and walked one.
Westmont scored the first two runs of the game in the bottom of the third. Back-to-back walks by Taylor Garcia and Bush was followed by a single to left by Coffey that loaded the bases. Bryce Morison drove a fly ball to deep center field that looked like in might clear the bases. However, Chandler Reynard caught the ball on the warning track to turn the would-be grand slam into a sacrifice fly. Both Bush and Coffey moved up a base on the play. Nick Sablock stepped to the plate next and drove in Bush on a bloop single to center field.
In the fourth inning, Westmont batted around, scoring five runs on five hits and a Spirit error. The Spirit used four pitchers in the inning.
Tyler Roper led off the fourth and reached on an error. Paul Mezurashi replaced Roper at first as a courtesy runner. One out later Bush singled through the right side, advancing Mezurashi to third on the hit-and-run play. After Bush stole second, Coffey singled to left center, driving in both Mezurashi and Bush for his third and fourth RBIs of the day.
Morison came up next and homered to right-center field, picking up his second and third RBIs of the day. The Warrior threat continued when Sablock doubled of the left-center field fence. He would later score on a RBI-single to left by Travis Vander Molen.
Westmont tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth. Chad Jones pinch hit for Roper to lead off the inning and reached on a single to center. Garcia followed with a single to right before Bush hit a bloop single to center field to load the bases with no outs.
One out later, Morison recorded his fourth RBI of the game and 20th of the season with a sacrifice fly to right field that drove in Jones.
Next week, Westmont is scheduled to host Oregon Tech in a four-game series beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday.