For those in attendance at Friday's PacWest softball doubleheader between Azusa Pacific and Hawai'i Hilo, they were treated to plenty of excitement and free softball. In both game one and game two, the Cougars and Vulcans went to extra innings, as Azusa Pacific won game one by a 5-4 final in eight innings, while Hawai'i Hilo took the second game, 8-7, in nine innings. In both games, Azusa Pacific entered the bottom of the seventh facing a deficit.
 
Game One: Azusa Pacific 5, Hawai'i Hilo 4
 
Hawai'i Hilo opened the scoring in game number one, as the Vulcans took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth. The Vulcans added on two more runs in the top of the fifth, and one more run in the top of the seventh, as Azusa Pacific came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh with Hawai'i Hilo leading 4-0, the Cougars needed to score four runs to force extra innings. And four runs is exactly what the Cougars would get in the inning.
 
The bottom of the seventh began with a fly out and a pop out, giving the Cougars two quick outs. Junior Emily Moran started the two-out rally, as she doubled a 2-0 pitch down the left field line. Sophomore Becca Jewett was hit by a pitch in the ensuing at bat. Junior Daniella Toschi was brought on as a pinch hitter with runners on first and second, and she promptly sent a ball to left center for an RBI double that scored Moran, and cut the Vulcan lead down to 4-1. Senior Cayla Broussard reached base safely on a throwing error from the Hilo second baseman, which allowed Jewett to score and Toschi advance to third base. Now down 4-2, the Cougars sent junior Kat Ung to the plate as a pinch hitter. Ung singled to right field, which scored Toschi, moved Broussard to third, and cut the deficit down to 4-3. Senior Racqual Espinoza, who was also the Cougars' starting pitcher in the game, came to the plate with runners at the corners. On the second pitch of the at-bat, Espinoza singled down the left field line to bring home the tying run in Broussard.
 
Following a scoreless top of the eighth, the Cougars looked to end the game in the bottom half of the inning, and Becca Jewett did just that. Sophomore Amanda Woods was able to reach base on an error by the right fielder, and she advanced to second on the play. With Woods on second, freshman Dani Burghardt laid down a bunt that moved Woods to third. Moran flew out in the ensuing at-bat, which then brought Jewett to the plate with two down and a runner on third. Jewett wasted no time, as she sent the first pitch she saw into left field, bringing home Woods and claiming the game one win.
 
Offensively, eight Cougars had a hit in the game, led by a 2-for-4 performance from Broussard. In the circle, Espinoza threw a total of seven innings, as she earned her sixth win of the year, allowing three runs while striking out four batters. Freshman Jahzell Estrada threw one inning of relief.
 
Game Two: Hawai'i Hilo 8, Azusa Pacific 7
 
In the second game of the day, the Cougars found themselves in need of a comeback. Following four scoreless innings for the Cougar offense, Azusa Pacific faced a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the fifth. The first two batters of the inning went down in order, giving the Cougars two quick outs. Junior Megan Tucker was hit by a pitch, which allowed Toschi to come to the plate as the tying run. Toschi battled to a 2-2 count, including a few pitches she fouled off deep down the left field line. Finally, Toschi not only saw a pitch she liked, but she absolutely demolished a ball deep into the parking lot in left field for a game tying two-run homerun. The homerun is Toschi's third of the season.
 
The game was tied briefly, as Hawai'i Hilo scored three runs in the top of the sixth, and two runs on the top of the seventh. Down 7-2 in the bottom of the seventh, the Cougars once again needed a big-time rally. Tucker led off the inning with a double, and was then pinch ran for with freshman Olivia Smith. Toschi drove Smith home with a single up the middle in the ensuing at-bat, trimming the Vulcan lead to 7-3. Broussard drew a walk, and junior Brielle Fraijo loaded the bases with a single. The Vulcan lead decreased to 7-4 on a passed ball, which brought one runner home, and moved Broussard and Fraijo to second and third. Espinoza, representing the tying run, reached base on an error from the Hawai'i Hilo shortstop. The ensuing Cougar batter struck out, which was the first out of the inning. Woods came up next for the Cougars, as she delivered an RBI single to bring Broussard home, which moved the tying-run to second base, and put the go-ahead run on first base. With the bases loaded, the Vulcans recorded the second out of the inning with a strikeout. Moran came to the plate for the Cougars with two outs, and a 7-5 deficit. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Moran hit a ball down the right field line, that slipped past the Vulcan first baseman, and brought in two runs to tie the game at 7-7. Hawai'i Hilo forced the ensuing Cougar batter into a groundout, which ended the inning.
 
Following a scoreless eighth inning for both teams, Hawai'i Hilo broke the 7-7 tie in the top of the ninth inning, as the Vulcans scored a run to take an 8-7 lead. The Cougars went down in order in the bottom of the ninth, which gave Hawai'i Hilo the victory.
 
Up Next: Azusa Pacific is now 12-10 overall, and 9-5 in the PacWest. The Cougars and Vulcans are right back in action on Saturday, March 23, as the two teams will play another doubleheader, starting at noon.