AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific surged into the Pacific West Conference lead with an 8-5, 7-3 sweep over Hawai'i Hilo Friday afternoon as the new and former first-place teams began a four-game weekend series.
The Cougars rallied from a five-run deficit late in the opening game, scoring four runs each in the fifth and sixth innings to pick up the win. After giving up a single run in the first inning of the second game, Azusa Pacific put together a five-run frame and held on for the 7-3 victory.
Senior catcher Madison Hernandez was two-for-three with three RBIs in each game of the doubleheader and hit her sixth home run of the season with a fifth-inning solo shot in the second game. Freshman Cayla Broussard boosted the offense with two hits in each game.
Junior lefthander Carly Xepoleas tossed nearly seven innings in relief, picking up the win with 3.2 innings of work while giving up two runs (both unearned) in the opener before finishing off the Game 2 win with three shutout innings to earn her first save of the season. Xepoleas struck out five batters on the day, and junior righthander Ariana von Zboray struck out four in four innings of the nightcap to pick up the win.
With the sweep, Azusa Pacific improves to 16-5 overall and takes first place in the PacWest standings with a 7-1 conference mark. Hawai'i Hilo drops to 20-9 overall and 12-4 in the PacWest. The teams conclude the four-game series with another doubleheader Saturday at noon.
After Hawai'i Hilo took a 5-0 lead in the opener, the Cougars answered with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Junior centerfielder Abry Moreno led off the inning with a double to straightaway center, and Azusa Pacific loaded the bases on consecutive infield singles forIlliana Jimenez and Broussard. A wild pitch brought the first run home while Nicki Spraguedrew a walk to load the bases again, and Hernandez placed a single down the right field line to score a pair. A fielder's choice grounder scored Sprague to cut the lead to 5-4.
An inning later, Moreno drew a leadoff walk that got another four-run rally started. Hernandez hit a bases-loaded infield single to tie the game at 5-5, and Anneliese Davis drew a bases-loaded walk to score the go-ahead run. Senior leftfielder Janelle Eccles provided two insurance runs with a double to center that extended the lead to 8-5.
In the second game, Hernandez opened up Azusa Pacific's scoring with a one-out double to right-center, scoring the first two of a five-run inning. Eccles drove in another with her single to right, and freshman Annie Sisler drove in two more with her two-out single up the middle.
The Cougars added a run in the fourth inning, extending the lead to 6-1 on Broussard's two-out single through the left side, and Hernandez answered a two-run fifth from UHH with her fifth-inning solo shot to left that made it 7-3.
