RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific kept things interesting in the race for the Pacific West Conference lead by picking up a crucial road split at No. 9-ranked California Baptist Saturday afternoon in Riverside.

However, the Cougars missed on their opportunity to steal a sweep from the Lancers by surrendering the game-winning run on two errors with two outs in the bottom of the seventh of a scoreless game to drop the opener, 1-0, before bouncing back for an 8-2 win in the second game.

The split prevented either team from creating separation among the tightly-bunched PacWest leaders. Azusa Pacific is now 28-10 overall and 15-5 in the PacWest, while California Baptist improves to 36-8 overall and 19-5 PacWest. Meanwhile, Dixie State and Concordia both swept Saturday doubleheaders to stay alive in the conference race as the Cougars head into a busy eight-game week which includes a two-game set with Concordia on Tuesday, April 19, to make up the rained-out April 9 doubleheader between the teams.

Senior righthander Narissa Garcia dueled California Baptist starter Ashley Coleman to keep both teams scoreless heading into the final inning. Coleman worked her way out of a leadoff single to Madison Hernandez in the top of the seventh, and Garcia retired the first two batters in the bottom of the inning before issuing a walk to Krista Mann and a single to left-center to Jacque Lopez. However, a fielding error in the outfield moved Mann and Lopez an extra base, and another error fielding the relay from the outfield allowed Mann to score the game-winner.

Both Garcia and Coleman scattered five hits and struck out five, but the unearned run charged to Garcia resulted in a victory for Coleman, who is now 15-3 on the year.

It didn't take long for Azusa Pacific to get on the scoreboard of the nightcap, as Cayla Broussard drew a one-out walk, stole second base, and then scored on a Hernandez single to right field for a 1-0 first-inning lead. The Cougars added four runs in the second, scoring their first two on a Jacqueline Carlin two-run double before adding two more on Nicki Sprague's two-out single to center.

After CBU got two runs back on a London Miller home run in the third inning, Sprague answered with a fifth-inning solo shot to extend the lead to 6-2. Sprague delivered two more insurance runs with another two-run single with one out in the seventh.

Sprague was three-for-four with five RBIs in the victory, while Hernandez was the offensive leader in the opener, going three-for-three in the 1-0 defeat.