AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific opened its four-game home series against Jessup on Friday, splitting the first doubleheader at the Cougar Softball Complex. After a tough 6-4 loss in game one, the Cougars bounced back with a 7-4 win in game two. The split brings the Cougars to 18-14 on the season.
Game One: Jessup 6, Azusa Pacific 4
The Cougars struck early, scoring in each of the first two innings. Sommer Quinones reached on an error and later came around to score on an RBI single by Sierra Sandoval. In the second, Izzy Rivera singled, advanced on another Jessup miscue, and eventually scored on a fielder's choice to give APU a 2-0 lead.
After Jessup cut the deficit in half in the fourth, the Cougars answered again in the fifth. Caitlin DeCanio led off with a single, and after a pinch runner swap, Sandoval delivered once more with a double to center field that made it 4-3.
However, the momentum shifted when Jessup launched a three-run homer in the fifth inning, giving the Warriors a 4-2 lead. They added two more runs in the seventh-one on a throwing error and another on a bunt single that pushed their lead to 6-3.
Azusa Pacific mounted one last effort in the bottom of the seventh. Quinones singled and scored on a sacrifice fly from Sandoval, cutting the lead to two. DeCanio, who went 3-for-4 in the game, added a single to keep the inning alive, but the Cougars couldn't push across another run.
Sandoval finished with three RBIs, while Rivera and Fraser each added hits for a Cougar lineup that tallied nine in total. Ava Hernandez started in the circle, going 5.2 innings with four earned runs allowed before turning it over to Mia Castillo in relief.
Game Two: Azusa Pacific 7, Jessup 4
After surrendering game one, the Cougars came out aggressive in the nightcap. Quinones led off with a walk and quickly swiped second and third. Emily Zuniga followed with a single, and with two on, DeCanio connected with the ball, hitting it over the left field fence for a three-run home run- a crucial tone-setter in the 7-4 victory.
Bella Fraser tacked on a fourth run in the third, doubling home Rivera, who had singled earlier in the inning. After Jessup pulled within two in the top of the fifth, the Cougars delivered the knockout punch in the bottom half. Rivera, Fraser, and pinch-hitter Sydney Juarez rattled off three consecutive RBI hits, capped by Juarez's two-run single up the middle to stretch the lead to 7-2.
Jessup managed to chip away with a run in the sixth and one more in the seventh, but starting pitcher Mia Castillo went the distance, scattering eight hits and striking out three across a complete-game effort to earn her fourth win of the season.
Fraser had a big night at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a stolen base. Rivera was 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and Zuniga added two hits and a walk. DeCanio finished with three RBIs on her first-inning homer, and Quinones went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and two stolen bases.
Up Next: Azusa Pacific and Jessup will close out the four-game series with another doubleheader on Saturday at the Cougar Softball Complex. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
