SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- The NAIA's No. 6-ranked Azusa Pacific ran its winning streak to 5 straight with a pair of come-from-behind victories over Cal State San Bernardino Tuesday, sweeping a doubleheader by scores of 11-10 and 8-5.
The Coyotes squandered leads of 7-1 and 10-7 in the first game and led 4-3 after 3 innings in the 5-inning nightcap, called by the umpires because to darkness.
The Cougars improved to 8-4 on the season while the Coyotes slipped to 5-11.
The opener featured 21 runs and 23 hits including 3 home runs and was similar in fashion to the last Azusa Pacific-Cal State San Bernardino meeting last year in Azusa when the Cougars rallied for 7 runs in their last 2 at-bats to beat the Coyotes, 13-12.
Tied 1-1 after the first inning, the Coyotes jumped on Cougar starter Rachel Alkire for 6 runs in the second inning, the big blow being a grand slam home run by freshman centerfielder Krista Hernandez, her team-leading fifth homer of the season
. Azusa Pacific came right back with 6 of their own in the top of the third off CSUSB starter Melissa Olvera on only 4 hits. Olvera walked in 2 runs and a third scored on a fielder's choice. A fourth run scored on a wild pitch and a fifth came home on a Shawna Paxton groundout. The sixth scored on Trisha Rico's single.
The Coyotes took reassumed a 10-7 lead in the sixth on a 3-run homer by senior Tami James, her first of the season.
However, Azusa Pacific came right back in the seventh with 4 runs, sparked by Alkire's leadoff home run to left, her third round tripper of the season. Freshman pinch runner Justine Barnett then scored the winning run on a passed ball charged to Coyote catcher Alexis Topper with 1 out.
Though she struggled for nearly the entire game, Alkire, nonetheless, picked up the victory, running her record to 6-0 after giving up 11 h its and 5 walks in 7 innings of work.
In the nightcap, CSUSB got off to a 1-0 lead when Christine Vaughn doubled home James who had led off with a single off Cougars starter Nicole Hendrix.
Azusa Pacific then took a 3-1 lead on Megan Alkire's 3-run home run to left off Olvera for her second round-tripper of the campaign.
The Coyotes answered with 3 of their own when former Cougar Chrissy Butler hit a 2-run homer to center and one out later James hit her second homer of the day over the center field fence.
Azusa went up for good at 7-3 when Aurion Sanchez delivered a grand slam homer to right field for her first home run of the season. CSUSB added an unearned run in the fourth, and Cassi Sweeney finished the scoring for the Cougars with a solo homer in the top of the fifth, her second of the season. Both Sweeney and Sanchez finished the game 2-for-3 at the plate with 2 runs scored apiece. Hendrix picked up her second straight win to improve to 2-3 on the season, striking out 4 in 5 innings of work.
On the day, Sweeney was 5-for-6 at the plate with a double and a home run. Freshman Courtney Cleaves was 3-for-7 with 2 runs, a triple and an RBI.
Azusa Pacific is now batting a hefty .315 as a team through the first 12 games of the 2004 season.
