SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Azusa Pacific softball defeated Academy of Art in both games of today's doubleheader in just six innings, winning the first by a score of 10-1 before taking the nightcap 12-4. The Cougars' offense tallied 27 hits across the two games including scoring a season-high 12 runs to secure the doubleheader sweep. With the wins, Azusa Pacific improves to 11-8 on the season and they have won five of its last six.
In game one, Sydnie Sahar tossed a six-inning complete game allowing just one run while striking out a pair of Urban Knights as the Cougars took advantage of seven errors from their opponents to score 10 runs. In game two, Izzy Rivera hit her first collegiate home run, a two-run shot, while Aly Montesino hit a solo homer as well for the Cougars. On the day,
Caitlin DeCanio, last week's PacWest Player of the Week, shined at the plate going 6-for-8 with a pair of doubles.
How it Happened (Game 1): The Urban Knights struck first in the opening inning with an RBI triple to give them the early lead but Sahar responded with three straight outs keeping it at 1-0. Azusa Pacific would respond in the third, a lead-off double by Montesino started the rally before Dani Burghardt's sacrifice bunt moved her to third. DeCanio would tie the game with an RBI single before coming around to score on an error to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead.
Sahar allowed just two baserunners in the next three innings to keep her team in the lead. Azusa Pacific would scratch across one in the fourth on a wild pitch that scored Olivia Smith to make it 3-1 before a two-RBI single by Kinsey Erickson in the fifth upped the lead to four runs. Later in the same frame, Erickson came around to score on another Urban Knights error making it 6-1.
In the sixth inning, the Cougars tallied four more runs to make it 10-1 as all of the runs came on four separate errors. Sahar then closed out the game with a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth to secure her fourth win and complete game of the season.
How it Happened (Game 2): Azusa Pacific wasted no time loading the bases to start game two with a pair of singles and a hit by pitch. Burghardt's double to right field would bring home a pair as the Cougars still hadn't recorded an out. DeCanio would follow with an RBI single to put Azusa Pacific ahead 3-0 after one-half inning.
The Urban Knights looked to respond in the bottom of the first as they had a pair of runners in scoring position with one out. But, starting pitcher Katie Korstrom got a strikeout and a popout to escape the jam.
With one out in the third, DeCanio lined a double to centerfield before Ally Chin's single moved her to third. Chin forced an errant throw into the outfield on a stolen base allowing DeCanio to score to make it 4-0. Rivera would follow with a two-run home run to left-center for her first-ever collegiate home which gave Azusa Pacific a six-run advantage.
Montesino ripped her third home run of the season to right-center to lead-off the fourth inning to increase the Azusa Pacific lead to 7-0. Still in the fourth, Burghardt scored on a wild pitch before an error on Academy of Art gave the Cougars their ninth run. To cap off a four-run inning, Smith's RBI single up the middle brought home another run to make it 10-0.
The Urban Knights extended the game with a run in the fourth before a trio more in the fifth. Three of the four runs came via two-out hits.
The Cougars would tack on two more runs in the top of the sixth on a pair of RBI singles by Montesino and DeCanio to up the lead to eight runs. Once again, the Cougars would close out the game with an eight-run advantage after six innings, Korstrom stranding another runner in scoring position with one out.
By the Numbers: The Cougars drew a season-high eight walks and stole a season-high five bases including two each from Chin and Erica Hanson. With a hit in each game today, Smith extends her hitting streak to eight games as she leads Azusa Pacific with eight multi-hit games this season. After tallying seven hits in the Cougars' last series en route to winning conference player of the week, DeCainio recorded six hits in the two games today.
Up Next: The Cougars and Urban Knights will face off tomorrow in another doubleheader beginning at 12:00 p.m. To watch and follow along with live stats click here.
