AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific broke tie games with fifth-inning scores in both games of a 6-5, 8-6 doubleheader sweep over Vanguard Wednesday evening, giving the Cougars seven wins in the past 10 games heading into the final six-game stretch of the regular season.
In the opener, Vanguard rallied to tie the game at 5-5 with a three-run fifth inning before Renae Chappelle's fielder's choice grounder to shortstop scored Abry Moreno for the game-winner in the bottom of the fifth. In the second game, Vanguard again scored three runs in the fifth to tie the game at 4-4, but senior outfielder Becca Dawson dropped a two-run double into shallow right-center before sophomore third baseman Nicki Sprague knocked a two-run home run to right field in the sixth inning for two crucial insurance runs.
Freshman shortstop Illiana Jimenez set the table for Azusa Pacific's offense, going four-for-eight with two stolen bases, and every Cougar starter collected at least one hit on the day. Junior pitcher Narissa Garcia posted the victory in the first game and escaped a bases-loaded jam with no outs in the seventh of the second game to pick up a save.
After Vanguard started the opener with a first-inning run to take an early 1-0 lead, senior second baseman Katrina Oviedo lined a three-run home run over the left-field fence in the second inning, and one inning later junior catcher Madison Hernandez slammed a 2-2 pitch just left of center field for a solo home run that gave Azusa Pacific a 4-2 lead. A Sprague double in the fourth scored Chappelle to extend the lead to 5-2 before Vanguard rallied for three runs in the fifth, including Lindsay Sullivan's game-tying two-out, two-run home run to right field.
In the bottom of the fifth, Oviedo's one-out single put runners at first and third for Chappelle, whose grounder to shortstop gave pinch-runner Melissa Martene enough time to beat the throw home and give the Cougars a 6-5 lead on the fielder's choice. Meanwhile, senior pitcher Destinee Levesque retired all six batters she faced over the final two frames to pick up her second save as Garcia was credited with the win.
Oviedo was the only Azusa Pacific hitter with at least two hits in the first game, and Jimenez was the offensive leader in the nightcap with a three-for-four performance from the leadoff spot.
In the second game, the Cougars struck first, scoring the game's first run on a Sprague sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first inning. Chappelle helped get a three-run second inning started when she drove in Dawson from second base with a double to left-center. Despite loading the bases with just one out, the Lions managed to score just once in the bottom of the fourth to trim the margin to 4-1. Brittney Boggs hit a one-out, two-run double to cap another three-run fifth inning, this time tying the game at 4-4.
For the second consecutive game, it took fifth-run scoring for Azusa Pacific to take the lead for good. Freshman first baseman Kayla Jimenez and senior leftfielder Sona Babayan hit back-to-back singles which led to the go-ahead and insurance runs on Dawson's two-run bloop double.
Sprague drilled a two-run shot to right field to score two more runs in the sixth inning, extending the lead to 8-4. The Lions drew three straight walks with no outs in the seventh, which led to Garcia returning to the circle to get the final three outs of the inning and preserve the win.
With the doubleheader sweep, Azusa Pacific improves to 27-22 overall and concludes non-conference play with a 15-9 non-conference record. Vanguard, which is ranked No. 16 in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll, falls to 36-18 on the season.
The Cougars visit PacWest Conference leader Dixie State for a four-game series Friday and Saturday, which will be followed with a doubleheader against Dominican on Monday, April 27, at 1 p.m., which wraps up the regular season.
