AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific kept its Pacific West Conference title hopes alive with a pair of dramatic walkoff victories Tuesday afternoon. Senior catcher Madison Hernandez delivered the walkoff home run to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning of a 2-1 win in the opener, and sophomore second baseman Illiana Jimenez kept going around third to swipe home after a fielder's choice groundout for the winning run of a 4-3 victory that completed the sweep.

The Cougars lost three starters late in Game 1 and for all of Game 2 as six players were ejected in the sixth inning of the opener for their role when benches cleared after Kayla Jimenez and Concordia second baseman Megan Feuerstein got tangled up on a double-play tag near second base. Jimenez was attempting to advance to second base on Christine Pinela's sacrifice lineout to left which tied the game at 1-1, but the throw home was cut off and Jimenez was thrown out at second base for the second out of the inning.

When the dust settled, three players from each team were ejected for leaving their team bench areas. That left Azusa Pacific to finish Game 1 and play all of Game 2 without junior second baseman Nicki Sprague, junior centerfielder Abry Moreno, and senior designated playerJacqueline Carlin. With the sweep, the Cougars kept pace just one game back of PacWest-leading California Baptist, which posted its own Tuesday sweep with a pair of victories against BYU-Hawaii.

"The way we won tonight with the adversity we had to overcome shows the fight and determination of this team," Azusa Pacific head coach Carrie Webber said.

However, the run scored on Pinela's sacrifice fly turned the lineup over to Hernandez in extra innings, and the senior catcher drilled the first pitch she saw from Concordia ace Grayson Harvey over the fence in left-center for the walkoff solo shot.

"I knew that I had to do something to pump my team back up," Hernandez said. "Emotions were running high, but we still had another game to play, so I knew I had to be ready to hit in that moment."

On her next trip to the plate, with two outs and a runner on in the bottom of the first inning of Game 2, Hernandez ripped a 1-1 offering from Susana Gurney to straightaway center for a two-run home run. Two innings later, Hernandez dropped a one-out, bases-loaded bunt single in front of the plate to push another run across and give the Cougars a 3-1 lead.

"We were all thinking that we were going into the second game without some of our best players, but I knew I had to be a leader and help keep our team focused," Hernandez said. "We still have good players, so I knew we would be fine in Game 2."

Concordia pulled even at 3-3 with a two-run fourth inning, but both offenses were halted when Harvey and Azusa Pacific senior RHP Narissa Garcia took over pitching duties in relief. Garcia registered 11 outs in the 12 batters she faced, while Harvey retired nine of the 11 batters she faced until freshman Annie Sisler drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the seventh. After Illiana Jimenez was hit by pitch, freshman shortstop Cayla Broussard reached on Harvey's fielding error to load the bases with no outs in the bottom of the seventh. Kayla Jimenez hit into a fielder's choice to the third baseman, where Concordia forced out the lead runner at the plate, but Jimenez caught the Eagles off guard by swiping home plate for the abrupt walkoff win.

The victories lift Azusa Pacific's overall record to 32-10 overall and 19-5 in the PacWest, while Concordia, which entered Tuesday's matchup tied with the Cougars for second in the conference standings, fell to 36-11 overall and 17-7 in PacWest play. The sweep also resulted in Azusa Pacific's first season series sweep over Concordia since 1999.

Hernandez went four-for-six with four RBIs on the day, and she collected her team-high 11th and 12th home runs of the season. She hit safely in four consecutive plate appearances before Concordia intentionally walked her with two outs in the fifth of Game 2, and Hernandez was due up with the bases loaded when the game ended on the aggressive seventh-inning baserunning of Illiana Jimenez, who went five-for-seven at the plate from the leadoff spot.

"Madison is one of the best players to play for Azusa Pacific," Webber said. "She comes up clutch time and time again, and I think that shows her true character and competitiveness. She understands the gravity of those types of situations and is still able to perform."

Junior lefthander Carly Xepoleas picked up the opening-game win with a perfect inning of relief after Garcia yielded just one run on five hits with six strikeouts, and Garcia collected the Game 2 win with 3.2 shutout innings in relief of Xepoleas.

"I don't think our pitching staff always gets the respect they deserve, but they prove themselves time and time again to their teammates, and that's what truly matters," Webber said. "We have a seasoned veteran pitching staff that really knows how to battle through tough situations."

The Cougars are scheduled for six games in the Bay Area starting with Friday and Saturday doubleheaders at Holy Names before Monday's twinbill at Dominican, and Azusa Pacific wraps up the regular season at home against California Baptist on Friday, April 29.