SAN DIEGO -- Azusa Pacific ended UC San Diego's nine-game winning streak to start the year, handing the No. 17-ranked Tritons a 4-1 defeat in 12 innings in the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader, which was originally scheduled for Saturday but was moved up three days in order to avoid potential weather conflicts with expected rain this weekend in Southern California.

The Cougars were one out away from winning the opener, as well, taking a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh before UC San Diego rallied for the 4-3 come-from-behind win. Instead, Azusa Pacific held its ground through a 12-inning marathon in the nightcap before breaking through for three runs in the 12th inning to pick up the victory.

With the split, Azusa Pacific is now 6-3 overall with over a week off until its next games on Friday, Feb. 24, at home against Cal State San Marcos. UC San Diego, which earlier in the day moved into the top-25 of the national Division II poll at the No. 17 spot, dropped to 9-1 after the split.

GAME 1: UC San Diego 4, Azusa Pacific 3

Carly Xepoleas limited UC San Diego to just a single unearned run through the first six innings, and Sprague hit a one-out solo home run in the sixth inning to help Azusa Pacific take a 3-1 lead into the seventh. The Tritons rallied with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, however, tying the game at 3-3 on Kelsi Maday's two-run single down the left field line. Caitlyn Weisner drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in the winning run in UC San Diego's opening-game win.

The home run was Sprague's second of the year, and Abry Moreno added two hits with an RBI, as well, to lead the Cougar offense.

GAME 2 (12 innings): Azusa Pacific 4, UC San Diego 1

Nicki Sprague and Jenna Gorman hit back-to-back run-scoring doubles with no outs in the 12th to provide the eventual winning runs for Azusa Pacific, and Ariana von Zboray fired her fifth inning of shutout relief in the 12th to close out the win.

Azusa Pacific left six runners on base through the first three innings before a UC San Diego error in the fourth inning allowed Emily Moran to score to break the scoreless tie. The Tritons tied the game at 1-1 two innings later on an Ashley Chestnut sacrifice fly, and they loaded the bases with two outs in the ninth inning but were turned away by von Zboray courtesy of an inning-ending pop fly.

In the top of the 12th, Cayla Broussard led off by reaching on an error, and she scored to give Azusa Pacific a 2-1 lead when Sprague doubled the very next at-bat. After Kayla Jimenez was intentionally walked, Jenna Gorman doubled to left-center to score both Sprague and Jimenez.

Von Zboray finished the game with five shutout innings of relief work for Azusa Pacific, taking over for b>Megan Mejia after the regulation seven innings. Mejia scattered one run on four hits and four walks over seven innings to get the Cougars into extra innings.