AZUSA, Calif. -- The onset of a rare approaching Southern California rainstorm altered the 2016 NCAA Division II Softball West 2 Regional tournament before the first pitch was thrown, but No. 14-ranked Azusa Pacific took advantage of the opportunity to earn an extra day of rest by beating UC San Diego and No. 21 Central Washington to advance to Saturday's championship round.
With the victories, Azusa Pacific advances directly to the final game of the tournament, where it will face the survivor of tomorrow's back-to-back elimination games. The Cougars improved to 40-10, clinching the eighth 40-win season in program history. UC San Diego (36-20) takes on Dixie State (36-14) at 11 a.m. Friday, with the winner taking on Central Washington (39-15) to follow at 1:30 p.m., as weather allows.
Azusa Pacific 2, UC San Diego 0: Box Score | Press Conference
Senior pitcher Narissa Garcia helped the Cougars avenge a season-opening defeat to UC San Diego by firing a three-hit shutout against the Tritons, who entered the tournament fresh off a California Collegiate Athletic Association tournament title. Garcia escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth inning when Kendall Baker's hard grounder down the third-base line was partially deflected off the glove of freshman third baseman Christine Pinela to freshman shortstop Cayla Broussard, who flipped it back to Pinela for the third out on the force play.
That play protected the 2-0 lead Azusa Pacific had taken in the fourth inning, when senior catcher Madison Hernandez and sophomore first baseman Kayla Jimenez delivered consecutive one-out RBI singles to break a scoreless tie.
Sophomore leftfielder Illiana Jimenez went two-for-three, leading off the fourth inning with one of her two infield hits and scoring the game's first run on the Hernandez single to right-center.
Azusa Pacific 4, Central Washington 3: Box Score | Press Conference
The Cougars avenged another regular-season defeat in dramatic fashion, holding off a sixth-inning Central Washington rally that chopped a 4-0 lead down to a single run. However, Garcia came on in relief for the final four outs, leaving the bases loaded in the sixth when Brielle Copodonna struck out swinging on a changeup before the Wildcats went down in order in the seventh.
Garcia was the last of three Cougar pitchers, as junior righthander Ariana von Zborayscattered six hits in 3.1 scoreless frames to start before junior lefthander Carly Xepoleas gave up three runs, all unearned, on six hits in 2.1 innings of relief. Xepoleas was credited with the win, improving to 16-5 on the season, while Garcia picked up her fourth save of the year (eighth career).
Broussard helped set the table with a four-for-four performance, and she dropped in a one-out single to left field to score the first of three runs in the fifth inning which gave the Cougars a 4-0 lead. Junior second baseman Nicki Sprague drew a five-pitch walk with the bases loaded to score the second run of the fifth, and Illiana Jimenez scored what turned out to be the game-winning run on a two-out wild pitch that made it 4-0.
Central Washington collected 12 hits to Azusa Pacific's seven, but the Wildcats left 11 runners on base in the game and stranded baserunners in each of the first six innings. Celine Fowler led the CWU offense with a three-for-four effort, and three others registered two-hit games for Central Washington.
