AZUSA, Calif. – The Cougar softball team earned a split in their 2022 home debut, shutting out Cal State San Bernardino 3-0 in the opening game before dropping the back half of the doubleheader 9-2.

Game 1: Azusa Pacific 3, CSU San Bernardino 0

The opening game was a relatively fast-moving affair with hits few and far between in the early innings.  It was a pair of long balls that proved decisive, as Aly Montesino opened the scoring with a solo shot over the right-center field fence in the fourth inning, and Dani Burghardt would follow up with a two-run shot in the sixth, her second long ball in the last three games, to provide the insurance.  That would prove more than enough to take the game, as Katie Korstrom had an outstanding outing in the circle, tossing a two-hit complete game shutout while striking out seven Coyote batters. 

Game 2: CSU San Bernardino 9, Azusa Pacific 2

It was the Coyotes' turn to clear the fence in game two, as Tereise Tosi knocked a two-out pitch over the left-center field wall for a quick 3-0 lead in the first.  The Cougars would claw their way back into the game, with Amanda Woods scoring on a wild pitch in the bottom half of the inning.  In Woods' next at bat in the second, she reached on an error that allowed Erica Hanson to score all the way from first to cut the deficit to a single run at 3-2.  Unfortunately, that was as close as the Cougars would get, as the Coyotes turned to their bullpen to keep Azusa Pacific off the scoreboard for the rest of the game, while adding a solo home run in the fifth and another run in the sixth before exploding for four runs in the seventh to put the game out of reach.  The Cougars left eight runners on base in the game, including three in the sixth.  Ally Chin had two hits to lead the offense in the game, while Liz Phillips allowed only one run in three and a third innings of relief.

Up Next: The Cougars (4-5) will head into the desert to play six games at the D2 Cactus Classic in Tuscon, Arizona.  The action will start with a doubleheader against Franklin Pierce (NH) on Thursday at 10:00 a.m.