AZUSA, Calif. – Senior Natalie Mickelson had 4 hits and drove in 5 runs to lead Azusa Pacific to its third doubleheader sweep of the season, an 8-5 and 8-0 set of verdicts over Dominican University in nonconference play at the Cougar Softball Complex Tuesday afternoon.
Mickelson went 3-for-4 in the run-ruled nightcap which included a game-winning poke to the warning track as Penguin pitcher Jessi Saaty tried to intentionally walk Mickelson. With the Cougars up 7-0 and runners and second and third, Saaty opted to give Mickelson a free pass to an open first base after going 2-1 in the count. Mickelson leaned on what was supposed to be ball four and promptly dispatched the ball over an unsuspecting Penguin right fielder, sending Jen Whitten home with the game-ending run.
The run-scoring hit capped an outstanding pitching performance by junior Erin Halma, who picked up her second complete-game shutout of the season, limiting the Penguins to just 3 hits while striking out 6.
Before her game-winning stroke, Mickelson had a pair of RBI doubles in the second game, including a 2-run shot to left-centerfield that highlighted a 4-run second inning and gave Azusa Pacific an early 6-0 lead. That was more than enough for Halma, who retired the first 9 batters she faced and didn't allow a hit until Ashley Mills led off the fourth with a single down the leftfield line.
With the win, Halma pushes her record to 5-4, already matching a career-high for victories in a season.
In the first game Azusa Pacific avoided a late-inning Penguin rush to hold on for an 8-5 victory. The Cougars blew the game open with a 6-run fourth inning in which 11 Cougars came to the plate. Erika Navarrete's third hit of a day, a 1-out single up the middle, scored freshmen Natalie Barnaby and Leslie-Anne Picone to put the Cougars up 4-0 at the time. Three-more RBI singles by Halma, Camille Hundley and Nicole Lloren completed the offensive explosion.
Dominican pushed Hundley around for 3 runs in the top of the fifth and chased her in the sixth with a lead-off single. Freshman Carissa Piper came on in relief for only her second collegiate appearance and wiggled out of a jam.
Hundley returned to the circle in the top of the seventh to get Piper out of 1-out trouble after 2 more Penguins had scored. Hundley picked up her ninth strikeout of the game and then induced a lineout to Cougar third baseman Becca Weisser to secure the win.
Navarrete finished the doubleheader 5-for-7 with 4 runs and 3 RBIs, Along with Mickelson, Halma and Lloren also registered 4 hits with Halma also getting a trio of RBIs.
With the sweep, Azusa Pacific improves to 11-9 on the season while Dominican falls to 3-9.
