NAIA No. 5 Azusa Pacific dropped the Vanguard Lions 17-4 on Friday afternoon, giving the Cougars a 2-0 lead in the four-game series set to finish on Saturday. The Lions, who led most of the first contest on Thursday before giving up the lead late in the game, fell behind in the first inning on Friday, and the Blue and Gold never recovered.

APU scored one run in the opening inning off Vanguard starter J.R. Bromberg, after the Lions failed to score in the top of the inning.  The Cougars added eight more runs in the third inning to take a commanding 9-0 lead, and Bromberg's night was finished for VUSC.

The Lions pushed three runs across in the fourth frame, thanks to a run-scoring single from Bryce Arroyo and a two-RBI single from Nikko Tountas. However, Azusa Pacific put the game out of reach in the bottom of the fourth, stretching their lead to 14-3 with a five-run frame. APU added three more runs while limiting the Pride to one run in the ninth, sealing the lopsided win.

The Cougars' Zachary Hedges earned the win, while Bromberg was tagged with the loss.  Tountas finished the game 3-4 with two RBI, while Hank Yates and Arroyo both went 2-4 for VUSC.

The Lions (14-13, 5-11 GSAC) will host APU (26-6, 15-2 GSAC) on Saturday for the remaining two games of the series.  First pitch of the double header is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.