HILO, Hawai'i – A late surge propelled Azusa Pacific to a 4-3 victory over Hawai'i Hilo, securing the series win at Vulcan Field Saturday afternoon. The Cougars remained scoreless through the first five innings but came alive late, scoring four runs in the final two frames.

Trailing 3-0 in the sixth, Sierra Sandoval sparked the rally with a double to put pinch runner Emily Zuniga into scoring position after Caitlin Decanio walked to first. Bella Fraser followed with a single to send Zuniga home and put Sakarah Buckner (pinch running for Sandoval) on second. Buckner reached third on a fielder's choice and then touched home on a fly out to cut the deficit to 3-2.

Azusa Pacific carried that momentum into the seventh. Sommer Quinones worked a walk to reach base before moving into scoring position on a groundout. Izzy Rivera delivered in a big way, lining an RBI double to right center to tie the game. Moments later, Sandoval reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Rivera to score the go-ahead run.

Maddy Debs entered in relief in the bottom of the fifth and was lights out, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings while striking out two and stranding multiple baserunners to earn the win.

At the plate, Rivera led the way with two hits, including a double and an RBI. Fraser and Penuelas each drove in a run, while Quinones reached base twice and scored a run. The Cougars finished with seven hits and capitalized on a pair of errors by the Vulcans.

Up Next: Azusa Pacific returns home for a four game series against Dominican, starting with a doubleheader Thursday, March 13. First pitch is at 4:00 PM.