AZUSA, Calif. – The Cougar softball team were done in by a pair of costly errors as they squared off with Biola for their second doubleheader in three days, dropping both games by finals of 4-2 and 3-0 at the Cougar Softball Complex Friday evening.
Game One: Biola 4, Azusa Pacific 2
The Cougars struck early, scoring both of their runs in the first inning. With runners at the corners and one out,
Becca Jewett hit a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in
Amanda Woods.Â
Dani Burghardt then drove in
Aly Montesino with a double down the left field line to make it 2-0. Biola would answer with a run scored without the benefit of a hit in the second inning, and the score would remain 2-1 Cougars going into the final inning. Azusa Pacific had multiple chances to add to the lead, but would strand 10 runners on base over the course of the game. Biola would finally answer back in the seventh, opening the inning with back-to-back hits and a groundout to tie the game, and then scoring a pair of runs when a throw from home plate to third base went off-line.Â
Katie Korstrom took the loss, despite only allowing a single earned run over six and a third innings. Burghardt had a pair of doubles and reached base all four times she came up in game one, while Jewett had a pair of singles to go with her sac fly.
Game Two: Biola 3, Azusa Pacific 0
Game two was all about the dominant pitching effort of Biola's Paige Austin. The junior threw a complete game one-hit shutout, allowing just four baserunners in the game and striking out every batter she faced at least once, punching out 12 Cougars in all. All three of Biola's runs came unearned in the third inning after a two-out throwing error. Montesino had the Cougars' lone hit, a single in the fourth. She also kept the game close on the mound, not giving up an earned run in six innings of work, and
Liz Phillips threw a scoreless seventh in relief. On the day, six of the seven runs the Cougars allowed were unearned.
Up next: Azusa Pacific (10-8, 5-7 PacWest SoCal pod) will be back in action in a nonconference doubleheader against another old GSAC rival when they host Hope International Thursday starting at 4:00 p.m.
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