AZUSA, Calif. – Azusa Pacific split its Monday doubleheader with Dominican, walking off game one 2-1 in extra innings before being shut out 2-0 in game two. The Cougars move to 25-16 overall and 19-9 in PacWest play, and move down to 4th in the conference standings with the series result.

Game One: Azusa Pacific 2, Dominican 1

Locked in a 1-1 tie in the eighth, the Cougars capitalized on a Dominican error with two outs to walk off the opener. Bella Fraser put the ball in play, and a throwing error on her grounder allowed Julia Doan to score the winning run from third, capping off a low-scoring battle that swung APU's way in extra innings.

Doan reached on an error to open the bottom of the eighth and advanced to third on back-to-back groundouts. With two outs and two on, Fraser hit a ground ball to short that was rushed and thrown over the head of the first baseman, giving the Cougars their 25th win of the season in walk-off fashion.

The Cougars had taken a 1-0 lead in the fifth when Fraser singled, moved to second on a groundout by Emily Zuniga, and came around to score on an RBI double to center by Alexus Corona. Dominican tied the game in the sixth, capitalizing on a leadoff double and a wild pitch to score an unearned run.

Ava Hernandez was solid in the circle, tossing a complete-game eight innings while giving up just five hits and one unearned run. She struck out four, walked two, and earned her eighth win of the season.

Fraser finished 1-for-4 with a run scored. Corona and Sydney Juarez each doubled, and Doan had two hits, including the eighth-inning grounder that ultimately turned into the game-winning run.

Game Two: Azusa Pacific 0, Dominican 2

After game one's walk off, the Cougars couldn't solve Dominican in game two, falling 2-0. 

The Penguins broke through in the top of the third, when a double and a walk put two on with two outs. Dominican's designated player followed with a double to left, scoring both runners and providing all the offense the Penguins would need.

Azusa Pacific had chances early. In the first, Doan and Caitlin DeCanio delivered back-to-back singles with one out, but a pair of popups left them stranded. In the second, Fraser led off with a single through the left side and moved into scoring position on a bunt from Emily Zuniga, but again, the Cougars were unable to see a runner touch home plate.

The Cougars scattered hits across the lineup- DeCanio went 2-for-3, Fraser and Hailey Burns each added a hit, and Doan, Quinones, and Sierra Sandoval also reached base on singles.

Mia Castillo started in the circle for APU, going six innings and allowing four hits and two earned runs. Delaney Raetz pitched a clean seventh in relief, recording a strikeout and facing just four batters.

Up Next: The Cougars head to Concordia on Saturday April 12 for a top four matchup. The teams will play a doubleheader at 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM before returning to the Cougar Complex the following weekend to wrap up the four-game series.