AZUSA, Calif. – Playing their first home game in a month, the Cougars hung tough with the second-ranked team in Division II, but ultimately fell to Concordia, dropping the opening game 4-2 in extra innings in the opener and 2-0 in the nightcap.

Game One: Concordia 4, Azusa Pacific 2 (10 innings)

The biggest story of the day for the Cougars was the outstanding pitching they got all afternoon.  Katie Korstrom got the start in the opener and went the distance, working out of jam after jam in the early going, striking out nine batters in the circle along the way.  Korstrom stranded a runner at third base in each of the first three innings.  Concordia would finally scratch a run across in the top of the sixth, but were denied an insurance run when Allie Chin threw out a would-be run at the plate from right field to keep the score 1-0.  In the bottom half of the inning, Erica Hanson was hit by a pitch with one out, then came around on a triple into right center by Amanda Woods.  The Cougars were unable to push across the potential winning run, and the game moved into extra innings.

The Cougars again had an opportunity to win the game in the eighth, but left the bases loaded.  Going into the 10th, international tie-breaker rules went into effect, with each team starting their at-bats with a runner on second.  Concordia doubled in their runner, then got a two-run homer to plate three in the top of the 10th inning.  The Cougars were able to bring their runner home via a Kinsey Erickson groundout, but were unable to get any other runners on base, ending the game.  The Cougars got five hits from five different players in the game.

Game Two:  Concordia 2, Azusa Pacific 0

All the damage to the scoreboard was done in the second inning by the Eagles.  Concordia's first three batters of the inning reached base via a walk, double, and single that brought the first two runners home.  That was enough for Concordia starter Rae Flores, who shut the Cougars down, allowing just four hits over her six innings in the circle.  Azusa Pacific had a pair of chances with runners on second and third in the second and fifth innings, but could not find that elusive hit to bring a runner home.  Sydnie Sahhar went the distance pitching for the Cougars, allowing just six hits while striking out four batters.

By the Numbers:  Three different Cougars (Dani Burghardt, Olivia Smith, and Chin) had a hit in both games.  Smith's pair of hits puts her team-leading batting average at .468. The Cougars held the second-ranked team in the nation to just four earned runs over 17 innings.  Concordia is now 24-0 on the season.

Up Next:  It's Cornerstone Cup time next for the Cougars (12-11, 6-4 PacWest) as they head down to La Mirada to face Biola in a doubleheader next Saturday.  First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 noon.  Both games can be viewed for free HERE.