AZUSA, Calif.. –- All-GSAC candidate Jessica Mikesell laced an eighth-inning double to leftfield that scored Lori Shimasaki and Justine Barnett and propelled Azusa Pacific to a 3-2 victory in the first game of what became a very important GSAC sweep of Vanguard. Inspired by Mikesell's clutch hit, the Cougars came back in the nightcap to score 4 first-inning runs to take the second game, 6-2.
With the sweep, the Cougars jettison back into the hunt for a playoff berth, moving to within 1 game of Biola for the fourth and final spot for the NAIA regional playoffs with 8 games remaining in the regular season. Azusa Pacific returns home to host Hope International Thursday (April 20). A sweep of the Royals will pull the Cougars into a tie with Biola and set up a significant showdown with the Eagles Saturday in Azusa.
In today's first game with Vanguard, Cougar pitcher Kris Franks battled Lion ace Krista Mahan pitch-for-pitch into the seventh inning. The 2 hurlers each surrendered second-inning runs but that was it until Mikesell laced a Mahan offering with no outs in the top of the eighth to give the Cougars a 3-1 advantage. Vanguard came back to plate a run in the bottom half, but Cougar reliever Camille Hundley retired 3 straight to preserve the win.
Franks danced in and out trouble throughout much of the game and retired the Lions in order just once. She stranded 3 Lions in scoring position, twice coming up with key strikeouts. All together, she finished with 5 punch outs. With the potential game-winning run at second base and 1 out in the bottom of the seventh, Franks gave way to Hundley, who got the next 2 batters, including one on a strikeout, to force extra innings.
Mikesell, Franks and Courtney Cleaves each had a pair of hits, accounting for 6 of the Cougars' 8 safeties.
In the second game, Shawna Paxton ripped a bases-clearing double to the gap in right-center to give Azusa Pacific a quick lead, and Rachel Yoshizu followed with another double as the Cougars raced out to 4-0 advantage with just 1 out in the top of the first. That was more than enough for Hundley, who in giving up 2 runs struck out 3 and did not walk a batter in 6 innings of work.
Azusa Pacific added an unearned run in the fourth on Cleaves' sacrifice fly, and Hundley aided her cause with a sixth-inning ground-out that scored Yoshizu with the final run of the game. The Cougars again had 8 hits in the game, 2 each by Yoshizu and Cassie Sweeney.
Hundley picked up the win in both games and improves to 8-8 while the Cougars, as a team, move to 21-18 overall and 6-10 in the GSAC.
