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Softball

Making the Most of Opps

LA MIRADA, Calif.. –- Azusa Pacific took advantage of 2 late-inning errors and rallied to collect its first GSAC win of the season in a conference split with Biola. The Cougars won the first game 3-2 before Biola came back to take the second game, 8-1.

In the opening game, the Cougars were 1 out away from losing when Eagle third baseman Jacquelin Hudson kicked a Shawna Paxton grounder allowing Jessica Mikesell to trot home from third and tie the game at 2-2. Then in the top half of the eighth, Biola's Sarah Jensen mishandled a 1-out grounder off the bat of Justine Barnett and Kris Franks scurried home with what proved to be the game-winning run.

However, Franks had to pitch her way out of trouble to clinch the win in the bottom of the eighth. Biola had runners at second and third with no outs. Franks, the Cougars' top hurler, went to work and sandwiched 2 groundouts around an infield pop-up to leave the Eagle runners in scoring position and escape with the victory. Franks surrendered just 5 hits on the day and struck out 5 Eagles while working all 8 innings to push her record to 5-4 on the season.

Lori Shimasaki accounted for half of the Cougars' 4 hits, including a game-opening double which she parlayed into the game's first run and a quick Cougar 1-0 lead. Biola answered with single runs in the first and third innings to assume 2-1 lead which held until 2 outs in the top of the seventh.

In the second game, Biola roughed up Cougar freshman pitcher Camille Hundley for 7 runs in the first 3 inning and ran away for the easy victory. The first 5 Eagles reached base to start Biola's half of the first, including Amerra Kesterson, who led off with her third home run of the season.

Cougar second baseman Tami Carter provided Azusa Pacific's only offensive spark, leading off the third inning with her third home run of the season to pull the Cougars to within 3 run at the time at 4-1. Carter has now hit safely in 14 of the Azusa Pacific's past 15 games.

Shimasaki had a fifth-inning single to push her hitting streak to 8 straight.

With the split, Azusa Pacific's overall record moves to 12-9 on the season. The Cougars are 1-5 in the GSAC. Biola is now 20-5 overall, 4-4 in the GSAC.

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Players Mentioned

Tami Carter

#5 Tami Carter

OF
5' 3"
Junior
R/R
Justine Barnett

#10 Justine Barnett

OF
5' 6"
Junior
L/R
Camille Hundley

#13 Camille Hundley

P
5' 6"
Freshman
R/R
Shawna Paxton

#22 Shawna Paxton

C
5' 6"
Senior
R/R
Lori Shimasaki

#23 Lori Shimasaki

OF
5' 3"
Junior
L/L
Jessica Mikesell

#33 Jessica Mikesell

1B
5' 8"
Senior
L/L

Players Mentioned

Tami Carter

#5 Tami Carter

5' 3"
Junior
R/R
OF
Justine Barnett

#10 Justine Barnett

5' 6"
Junior
L/R
OF
Camille Hundley

#13 Camille Hundley

5' 6"
Freshman
R/R
P
Shawna Paxton

#22 Shawna Paxton

5' 6"
Senior
R/R
C
Lori Shimasaki

#23 Lori Shimasaki

5' 3"
Junior
L/L
OF
Jessica Mikesell

#33 Jessica Mikesell

5' 8"
Senior
L/L
1B