IRVINE, Calif. – Azusa Pacific put up a fight but still saw their season come to a close, falling 3-0 to Chico State in an elimination game at the NCAA West Region playoffs at Concordia University.
How It Happened: Over the first three innings, both pitchers were at the top of their game, with Olivia Smith's bunt single to lead off the first inning the only hit for either side the first time through the lineup. But Chico State would break through for three runs in the fourth, taking advantage of some fielding miscues by the Cougar defense.
The Cougars would threaten in the fifth when Sommer Quinones reached on a one-out error and took second base on a wild pitch, but that was as far as Azusa Pacific was able to advance her any further. That would serve as a prelude to the team's best offensive opportunity in the sixth, where the Cougars put the first two batters on base and get a runner to third base for the first time. However, a pair of strikeouts from Wildcat ace Brooke Larsen kept the Cougars off the scoreboard.
Aly Montesino threw the final three innings in relief without allowing a run, while between her and starter Katie Korstrom, the Cougars held the Wildcats to five hits for the game while striking out four batters and allowing a single earned run. Offensively, Smith had both hits for the Cougars and stole a base, finishing the season with 29.
Azusa Pacific ends the season with a record of 35-17, having advanced to the NCAA postseason for the second time in program history (2016). This season, Azusa Pacific won 25 games in PacWest play, which matches the program's most conference wins in a single season. The 2022 team will also go down as the team that claimed two historic victories for head coach Carrie Webber. On February 19 at the D2 Cactus Classic in Arizona, the Cougars beat Western New Mexico by a 9-0 score, which marked the 400th of Coach Webber's coaching career at Azusa Pacific. Just a few weeks ago (April 30), the Cougars closed out the regular season with a doubleheader at No. 12 Concordia. In the second game of the season finale, the Cougars claimed a 3-0 win, which went down as Webber's 429th victory at Azusa Pacific, making her the program's winningest head coach. Webber surpassed Sharon Lehman, who coached 11 seasons and racked up 428 wins.
While the Cougars will greatly miss their five seniors who played their final game at Azusa Pacific (Dani Burghardt, Erica Hanson, Madison Salgado, Olivia Smith and Amanda Woods), the future is bright for Azusa Pacific softball. Coach Webber will have several key players returning next season, and the Cougars will certainly be in contention for a PacWest title and a third appearance in the NCAA West Regionals.
