RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- When Azusa Pacific clinched its first Pacific West Conference softball championship a year ago, it did so with a sweep over California Baptist on its home field. With the Cougars visiting No. 17-ranked CBU for a Saturday doubleheader, the Lancers had their opportunity to do the same thing one year later.
Azusa Pacific spoiled that plan, picking up a 2-1 extra-inning victory over the Lancers in Saturday's opener to clinch a season series win and snap CBU's 26-game winning streak. California Baptist salvaged a split with a 4-0 win in the second game, but the split for the PacWest-leading Lancers kept them from celebrating an outright conference title as second-place Dixie State remains in contention to share the PacWest title with CBU.
Kayla Jimenez and Erinn Jaramillo hit ninth-inning doubles, with Jimenez scoring on Jaramillo's extra-base hit to left field for the game-winning run in the 2-1 victory, and Carly Xepoleas was one out away from a complete-game shutout until CBU tied the game at 1-1 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Xepoleas still collected the complete-game win, scattering one run on nine hits with one strikeout.
The Cougars were held scoreless in the nightcap as Ciara Stapp tossed a three-hit shutout for the Lancers. Kat Ung matched her early in the game, firing three scoreless frames before CBU pushed two unearned runs across in the fourth inning before adding insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings for the 4-0 win.
Azusa Pacific remains in third place in the PacWest standings with a one-game edge over fourth-place Concordia. The Cougars, who are now 27-17 overall and 18-8 in PacWest play, host doubleheaders against Notre Dame de Namur and Holy Names next weekend before wrapping up the regular season with an April 29 visit to Concordia.
GAME 1 (9 innings): Azusa Pacific 2, California Baptist 1
A first-inning run was nearly enough for Azusa Pacific to win the opener, as Xepoleas' gem had the Cougars one out away from a 1-0 victory. The senior southpaw took a three-hit shutout into the seventh before Shoray Shahbazian kept the Lancers alive with a leadoff double. After London Miller drew a walk, Azusa Pacific's bunt defense forced out the lead runner twice to keep runners at first and second with two outs before Hannah Thieroff tied the game with a two-out single to center.
After another walk loaded the bases in the seventh, Xepoleas got the game into extra innings with an infield popup for the third out. The eighth inning was just as adventurous, as CBU led off with consecutive singles and loaded the bases again with just one out on a Miller single to left. However, a baserunning blunder on a lineout to left field allowed Illiana Jimenez to throw to second base for an inning-ending double play.
In the ninth, Kayla Jimenez hit a one-out double, and Jaramillo brought her in with a two-out double to left to give Azusa Pacific a 2-1 lead. Xepoleas retired the first two hitters in the ninth before a two-out single found its way through the left side to put the tying run at first base, but Xepoleas got the ninth hitter in the lineup to ground out to third to end the game.
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GAME 2: California Baptist 4, Azusa Pacific 0
After issuing a leadoff walk, Ung retired nine straight CBU hitters before the leadoff hitter in the fourth reached base on an error. London Miller collected the Lancers' first hit of the game with a one-out single, and Erin Burkhart delivered a two-out, two-run double to score the first runs of the game.
Stapp retired Azusa Pacific's leadoff hitter in all seven innings, and she did not allow a walk in the three-hit shutout. Two of the Cougars' three hits were consecutive two-out singles from Cayla Broussard and Nicki Sprague in the top of the sixth inning, but Stapp was able to get an inning-ending groundout to keep Azusa Pacific off the scoreboard.
Krista Mann drove in both of California Baptist's insurance runs, driving in the first on a fifth-inning fielder's choice before hitting a two-out single in the sixth to drive in another for the final 4-0 margin.
