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Softball Joe Reinsch

Sweep Extends Rivalry Streak

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 LA MIRADA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific continued its recent run of success against Biola, extending its winning streak against the Eagles to 14 after recording 6-1 and 8- 0 wins Friday afternoon. The Cougars' current 14-game winning streak against Biola dates back to the 2011 season, surrendering only eight combined runs over the eight meetings between the programs since Azusa Pacific joined NCAA Division II's Pacific West Conference in 2013.

Biola's only run of the afternoon came in the opening inning of the first game, but a quartet of Cougar pitchers combined to hold the Eagles scoreless over the next 12 innings of play. Senior RHP Narissa Garcia fired six scoreless innings to finish off the complete-game 6-1 win in the opener, and junior LHP Carly Xepoleas allowed just two hits in five scoreless innings to pick up the win in the second game. Junior RHP Ariana von Zboray and freshman RHP Megan Mejia combined to record the final three outs of the nightcap to complete the sweep.

Meanwhile, the offense pushed across 14 runs on 21 hits over the two-game set, with freshman Christine Pinela leading the way with two hits in each game of the doubleheader. After leaving runners on base in each of the first three innings of the opener, Pinela's fourth-inning leadoff double set up Anneliese Davis' game-tying sacrifice fly to left.

Two innings later, sophomore SS Illiana Jimenez drove in the go-ahead run with a two-out single to left-center before junior 3B Nicki Sprague broke the game open with a three-run double to center field. Sprague scored on a wild pitch later in the inning to cap the five-run sixth inning.

Jimenez led off the second game with an infield single, scoring the first run on Sprague's RBI grounder to first base. The Cougars added back-to-back three-run frames in the fourth and fifth innings, and Jimenez scored on a sixth-inning wild pitch to set up the mercy-rule win.

Pinela led the offense with a total of four hits on the day, while Jimenez and Madison Hernandez registered three hits each. Sprague went two-for-three in the opener to extend her hitting streak to 18 games, but her hitting streak ended with a hitless second game, although she did deliver the game-winning RBI in the Game 2 victory.

Azusa Pacific returns home Saturday for a noon non-conference doubleheader against Concordia (Ore.) University.

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Players Mentioned

Illiana Jimenez

#0 Illiana Jimenez

INF
5' 3"
Sophomore
Nicki Sprague

#4 Nicki Sprague

INF
5' 2"
Junior
Carly Xepoleas

#6 Carly Xepoleas

LHP
5' 2"
Junior
Madison Hernandez

#7 Madison Hernandez

C/3B
5' 4"
Senior
Anneliese Davis

#8 Anneliese Davis

RHP
5' 0"
Sophomore
Narissa Garcia

#10 Narissa Garcia

RHP
5' 3"
Senior
Megan Mejia

#11 Megan Mejia

RHP
5' 4"
Freshman
Christine Pinela

#14 Christine Pinela

INF
5' 2"
Freshman
Ariana von Zboray

#20 Ariana von Zboray

RHP
5' 7"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Illiana Jimenez

#0 Illiana Jimenez

5' 3"
Sophomore
INF
Nicki Sprague

#4 Nicki Sprague

5' 2"
Junior
INF
Carly Xepoleas

#6 Carly Xepoleas

5' 2"
Junior
LHP
Madison Hernandez

#7 Madison Hernandez

5' 4"
Senior
C/3B
Anneliese Davis

#8 Anneliese Davis

5' 0"
Sophomore
RHP
Narissa Garcia

#10 Narissa Garcia

5' 3"
Senior
RHP
Megan Mejia

#11 Megan Mejia

5' 4"
Freshman
RHP
Christine Pinela

#14 Christine Pinela

5' 2"
Freshman
INF
Ariana von Zboray

#20 Ariana von Zboray

5' 7"
Junior
RHP