SAN RAFAEL, Calif. - Azusa Pacific swept its Friday doubleheader at Dominican to open a four-game series up in the Bay Area this weekend.

Game One: Azusa Pacific 8, Dominican 0 (6 inn.)

Sydnie Sahhar was dominant in the circle for the Cougars in game one, as the right hander hurled six shutout innings and allowed just two Penguin hits while striking out seven batters to earn her eighth victory this season. Sahhar's excellence was backed by a steady offensive attack from a Cougar lineup that produced 11 hits in the game.

The scoring started for the Cougars in the top of the third inning, when Ally Chin hit a two-run single that scored Erica Hanson (singled in the inning) and Oliva Smith (doubled in the inning). The Cougars would add two more runs in the top of the fourth, off of a two-run home run by Izzy Rivera with two outs in the inning. The long ball was Rivera's second of her freshman campaign.

Azusa Pacific added more to its lead in the fifth inning, when Dani Burghardt launched another two-run home run for the Cougars that made it 6-0 as it banged off the scoreboard in right field. Burghardt's home run was her third of the season, and the eighth of her career.

The Cougars added another crooked number in the sixth inning. Sommer Quinones led off the frame with a single, and she later scored on an RBI single from Smith with one out. Carley Gay gave the Cougars an 8-0 lead, as she hit an RBI single that scored Hanson, who had reached on an error earlier in the inning.

Chin led the Cougar offense in game one with a 3-for-4 performance and two RBI, and Smith also had a multi-hit game (2-for-4).

Game Two: Azusa Pacific 5, Dominican 2

Dominican opened the game two scoring with an RBI double in the bottom of the first inning, but the Cougars came right back in the top of the second with an RBI single from Madison Salgado to tie the game at 1-1. 

After a scoreless third inning for both teams, it was Salgado who delivered once again, as she hit a two-out RBI single to give Azusa Pacific the 2-1 lead. Dominican would respond with a run in the bottom of fifth to knot the score at 2-2.

The Cougars would take the lead right back in the sixth inning, scoring three runs on five hits. The first three batters that stepped to the plate in the frame recorded a hit, as Burghardt led off with a single, followed by a base hit from Amanda Woods. The third hitter of the sixth was Rivera, who stepped in with Burghardt on third and Woods on second. Rivera seized the opportunity, doubling to deep left field to score both Burghardt and Woods. A couple batters later, Rivera would come across to score on an RBI double from Hanson for the third and final run of the inning.

Katie Korstrom, who pitched her 11th complete game of the season, would shut the door on the Penguins and secure the victory, as she retired Dominican in order in both the sixth and seventh inning. Korstrom improved her record to 13-2 with the victory, allowing just one earned run on four hits, while also striking out five batters.

At the plate, the Cougars tallied nine hits as a team, led by three hits apiece from Salgado and Woods, who each finished the game 3-for-3. On the base paths, Smith and Chin each stole a base, which improves Smith's season numbers to 28-for-29 (leads PacWest), and Chin is now 16-for-17 (fourth in PacWest). 

PLAYOFF PICTURE: This week, the NCAA released its first round of regional rankings. Azusa Pacific is ranked No. 7 in the West region, as they entered the series at Dominican with a 30-14 overall record. The regional will include the top-eight teams that are determined by a regional committee at the conclusion of the regular season. Against the teams ranked among the top-10 in the West region, the Cougars have gone 9-6, with a 4-5 mark against the teams ranked above them in the first ranking.

Up Next: Azusa Pacific, now 32-14 overall (22-6 PacWest, 2nd), closes out its four-game series at Dominican tomorrow, with a doubleheader set to start at noon. The Cougars will then conclude the regular season next Saturday, April 30, when they visit Concordia, who has clinched the PacWest title this season and are ranked No. 2 in the West region.