**”School Record Eight Homers Pace Baseball to Series Sweep Over BYU”**
The crack of the bat echoed across Diamond Ridge Stadium like a cannon blast. Sunlight slanted through the late spring sky as fans leapt to their feet in unison. It was the eighth time they’d heard that sound today—a towering home run arcing over the left-field fence. And it was history.
On a warm Saturday afternoon, the Western Pacific University Eagles completed a stunning three-game sweep of the BYU Cougars, powered by a school-record eight home runs in the final game. The 17–6 blowout wasn’t just a statement—it was a roar.
Leading the aerial assault was junior first baseman Caleb “Hammer” Hastings, who crushed two no-doubt bombs in his first two at-bats, sending the BYU outfielders scrambling back to the wall with barely a glance upward. Hastings finished the game 4-for-5 with six RBIs and was later doused with a cooler of orange Gatorade by his grinning teammates.
“We just came out swinging,” Hastings said, eyes gleaming. “Coach told us to be aggressive early and not let up. We weren’t about to take our foot off the gas.”
But it wasn’t just Hastings lighting up the scoreboard.
Senior captain Dante Ruiz delivered a grand slam in the fourth inning that effectively shattered BYU’s hopes. The Cougars had clawed back to within two runs after a shaky first inning, but Ruiz’s blast—scorched over the center field fence at 423 feet—put the game out of reach. As he rounded third, pumping his fist in front of a roaring home crowd, the entire Eagles dugout emptied to greet him at the plate.
“I’ve never seen the ball fly like this,” said Ruiz, who now leads the team with 14 home runs on the season. “It’s like we were locked in—every pitch, every swing. We weren’t missing.”
Freshman phenom Tyler Kim, sophomore slugger Max Ortega, and catcher Elijah Grant each added solo homers, while utility infielder Jace Morales hit his first collegiate bomb—a pinch-hit shot in the eighth inning that sent the student section into a frenzy.
The previous school record—six homers in a single game—had stood since 2004. By the time Morales rounded the bases to a standing ovation, the record was not just broken—it was obliterated.
Head coach Doug Merrill, in his 12th season at the helm, called it “the most complete offensive performance” he’s ever witnessed.
“We’ve talked a lot about identity this season,” Merrill said. “Today, we found it—power, discipline, execution. We didn’t chase pitches. We made them pay for every mistake.”
Pitching also held its ground. Sophomore right-hander Noah Chambers pitched six solid innings, striking out seven and scattering five hits. The bullpen trio of Benson, Cardenas, and Liu closed the door, allowing just one run over the final three frames.
With the win, the Eagles improved to 29–11 on the season and surged to the top of the West Coast Conference standings. For BYU, the loss marked their fifth straight and capped a dismal road trip.
As the sun dipped below the stadium lights and fans poured out with voices hoarse from cheering, one thing was clear: this wasn’t just a win—it was a moment the Eagles and their fans would remember for years to come.
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