California Baptist University
Azusa Pacific
Split Ticket
3/5/2014 6:34:00 AM | Softball
RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Not only can you throw the records out the window when it comes to rivalry games, but the previous game along with it.
At least, that was the case when No. 3 California Baptist University and Azusa Pacific met to conclude their rivalry matchup this season with a PacWest doubleheader Tuesday. The Lancers opened the night on fire and applied the mercy rule to the Cougars in the first game for a 14-6 victory. They saw their chances of a sweep evaporate, however, in an extra-inning, 4-3 loss at John C. Funk Stadium.
CBU got strong pitching performances in both contests. Belinda Renne and Kayla Hatch went the distance in the first and second game, respectively. Renne allowed just four hits and two walks through six innings in the first game, while Hatch gave up five hits and two walks through eight in the finale.
Seven Lancers had multiple hits on the day. Krista Mann went a combined 4-for-8 with two runs batted in and three runs scored after a 3-for-4 showing in the first game. Marshean August went 2-for-5 with three RBIs in the opener, while Jordan Mowatt was a perfect 4-for-4 with 2 RBIs and two runs. Rachel Meyer owned a team-best 5 RBIs on the day after she hit a grand slam in the first game, and London Miller, Kailey Willingham and Jacque Lopez all had two hits on the day.
In the first game, the Lancers' offense was uncontainable while the Cougars enjoyed some big blasts. APU had just four hits in the game but three went for home runs. CBU may have had two homers in comparison, but it produced 14 hits in the game.
The Cougars took a 1-0 advantage in the top of the third inning when Renae Chappelle hit a leadoff home run. That lead turned into a deficit, as CBU got leadoff singles from Lopez and Mowatt in the bottom of the third. With two outs, Savannah Miller drew a walk to load the bases. Meyer came up clutch and blasted a home run to left center to give the Lancers a 4-1 lead.
A leadoff Nicki Sprague homer in the fourth brought APU back within 4-2, but CBU kept its offense clicking as well. A leadoff walk to Willingham and consecutive one-out singles from Lopez and Mowatt loaded the bases for August.
August, CBU's leadoff hitter, shot a ball up the middle to score two runs. Mann continued her phenomenal freshman season by following with a two-run homer over the center-field fence to give the Lancers a commanding 8-2 lead in the opener.
APU refused to go away, though, and pulled back within two at 8-6 with just one hit in the fifth inning.
CBU gave itself a three-run cushion in the bottom of the fifth, as Willingham and Mowatt singles led to a 9-6 cushion for the home team.
Then, for the first time in four innings, APU was shutout in the sixth. Back at the plate, the Lancers would not be slowed down and had their most productive offensive inning in the bottom half. They scored five runs on four hits and two errors to end the game on the eight-run mercy rule.
Mann and Savannah Miller led things off with a single and walk, respectively, and both scored on two errors. London Miller drove in another run with a single up the middle, while walks to Willingham and DeVaere kept the pressure on the Cougars.
Mowatt scored Willingham with another single in the sixth for a 13-6 CBU advantage and August ended the game with a double into left field that scored DeVaere.
After an explosive first game, both teams cooled off at the plate to end the night. CBU got on the board first in the nightcap as Mann led off the bottom of the third with a single. She then came home on a single from Meyer to put CBU in front 1-0.
The Lancers were on the verge of making their one-run lead stand up, before the Cougars struck for three run in the top of the sixth after Sona Babayan hit a two-out double that scored a pair of runs.
CBU responded and tied the game up at 3-3 in the bottom of the frame. London Miller led off the inning with a rocket to right center. APU's pitchers struggled to find the strike zone that inning, as an error and three walks led to the equalizing run coming on a free pass to August, who had four RBIs on the night.
The Cougars struck again with two outs in the top of the eighth, as Madison Hernandez hit a solo homer to left center to cap the scoring. The Lancers couldn't respond on their chance in the batter's box, dropping the second game 4-3.
CBU's record moved to 18-5, 9-3 in the PacWest Tuesday, while APU sits at 16-7, 7-5 in conference. The Lancers head to St. George, Utah, where they will take on Dixie State in a pair of doubleheaders Friday and Saturday, scheduled for 3 p.m. and noon, respectively.
