IRVINE, Calif. – The Cougar softball team wrapped up play at the D2 Kickoff Classic with another mark in both the win and loss columns, winning their opener 3-0 over Cal State East Bay, before falling to San Francisco State by an identical score.

GAME 1: Azusa Pacific 3, Cal State East Bay 0

Azusa Pacific rode a five-hit shutout effort by freshman Sydney Sahhar to a win in the morning game.  Offensively, Amanda Woods drove in the first run of the game via a fielder's choice that scored Erica Hanson in the top of the third inning. Woods then came around to score herself on a two-out single by Aly Montesino.  The Cougars would tack on an insurance run with another two-out hit in the sixth, courtesy of catcher Caitlin DeCanio.  The Pioneers had their best chance to score in the fourth when they got runners to second and third with one out.  The sophomore  Sahhar calmly got a strikeout and a ground ball to second to retire the side. Sahhar struck out seven batters in the circle to earn her first victory in a Cougar uniform.

Game 2: San Francisco State 3, Azusa Pacific 0

The Cougar bats struggled playing their fifth game in less than 30 hours, producing just three hits in their final game of the weekend.  San Francisco State strung together eight hits in the game, though none of them directly produced a run.  The Gators got an unearned run in the first inning via a throwing error on a stolen base attempt; their second run scored on a sacrifice fly in the fourth; and their final run came in the top of the seventh on a foul ball that resulted in a pair of outs in addition to their insurance run.  The Cougars had some chances to score in the middle innings, having two runners on with one out in the fourth, and then a runner at third with one out in the fifth on an Aleah Delgado triple, but could not find the necessary hit to bring a runner home. Liz Phillips and Katie Korstrom split the game on the mound, each allowing just a single earned run.

By the Numbers:  The Cougars had three triples on the day, one each by Hanson and Dani Burghardt in game one followed by Delgado's in game two.  Sahhar has struck out 11 batters in 14 innings across three appearances and now sports a 2.57 ERA.  The Cougars 3-2 record at the tournament matches their performance from the last time the event was held two seasons ago.