Atherton, Calif. — Azusa Pacific swept its conference doubleheader against Menlo on Saturday, taking the opener 10–6 before securing an 11–3 run-rule victory in game two.
Game One: Azusa Pacific 10, Menlo 6
After two scoreless innings, the Cougars struck first in the third.
Jocelyn Guzman reached to start the rally before
Julia Doan drew a walk, and after another baserunner loaded the bases,
Alexus Corona delivered the biggest swing of the day: an inside-the-park grand slam to right field that plated four runs and gave Azusa Pacific a 4–0 lead.
Menlo answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning, but the Cougars responded immediately with their largest frame of the game in the fourth. Guzman again sparked the offense by reaching base before Doan ripped a ground-rule double to put runners in scoring position.
Rianna De La Barcena brought home a run with a sacrifice bunt before
Hannah Tipton reached on an error that allowed another run to score.
Maddy Debs followed with an RBI double, and Corona and
Bella Fraser added consecutive RBI singles as Azusa Pacific pushed across five runs in the inning to stretch the lead to 9–4.
Menlo trimmed the deficit with three runs in the fourth, but the Cougars' pitching settled in over the next two innings to hold the advantage.
Charli Ray Escobedo started in the circle and struck out four over four innings, while Debs handled the final three frames in relief.
Azusa Pacific added an insurance run in the seventh when Debs singled and later came home on a wild pitch to make it 10–4. Menlo plated two in the bottom half, but the Cougars closed out the victory.
Offensively, Corona led the way with three hits and five RBIs, highlighted by the inside-the-park grand slam. Doan and Debs each recorded two hits, while Fraser also finished with a pair of hits and an RBI as the Cougars totaled 10 hits in the win.
Game Two: Azusa Pacific 11, Menlo 3
The Cougars fell behind early after a two-run homer in the bottom of the first gave Menlo a 2–0 lead. Azusa Pacific responded behind a strong relief outing from
Ava Hernandez, who settled the game in the circle and limited Menlo to just one run the rest of the way while striking out two across 5.2 innings.
Azusa Pacific broke through in the fourth inning to take control.
Celeste Camarena and Guzman opened the frame with walks before Doan drove in the Cougars' first run with an RBI groundout. Moments later, De La Barcena reached on a bunt that led to a run scoring, and Debs followed with an RBI single to push the lead further. Corona added another RBI groundout before
Abi Milton singled through the right side to bring home another run, completing a five-run inning that flipped the score in favor of Azusa Pacific.
The Cougars kept the momentum going in the fifth. Camarena and Guzman again reached base to start the rally before Doan delivered a two-run double to left center. Azusa Pacific capitalized on another defensive miscue that allowed two more runs to cross before Corona drove in a run with a single up the middle. Later in the inning,
Jenna Fullmer lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to plate another run and extend the Cougars' advantage.
Azusa Pacific added its final run in the sixth when Camarena launched a solo home run down the left-field line.
Offensively, Camarena scored three times and homered, while Doan drove in three runs. Tipton and Debs each recorded two hits, and Corona finished with two RBIs as the Cougars collected nine hits in the win.
Up Next: The Cougars return home for an extended homestand, beginning with a four-game series against Hawai'i Hilo. Azusa Pacific will host doubleheaders on Tuesday, March 10 and Wednesday, March 11, with first pitch of each day's opener scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
