Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 SAN MARCOS, Calif.— Backed by a pair of complete game efforts from Katie Wilkinson and Ashley Dagenais, the No. 7 Cal State San Marcos softball team knocked off No. 21 Simpson University twice Tuesday afternoon at the CSUSM Softball Field, winning 6-0 and 3-2.

While the first game was dominated by the Cougars for the majority of the contest, the Red Hawks led throughout the second game until a late three-run rally in the second game helped complete the sweep and send the Cougars to their eighth straight win.

Wilkinson took the ball for the CSUSM in the first game, and after working out of a first inning jam allowed just three hits the remainder of the way for her second complete game shutout.

The Cougars got on the scoreboard first with a string of singles in the third inning. After Tayler Ybarra and Kaitlin McGinley singled, Caylyn Rodriguez brought home the game's first run with an RBI single down the right field line. Alex Miller then roped a hit past a sprawling shortstop to bring home two more runs to give CSUSM a comfortable 3-0 lead.

After giving up a one-out single in the fourth, the Cougars turned a 6-4-3 double play for Wilkinson (12-2) to end the inning, and the junior ace didn't allow a hit the rest of the way.

CSUSM tacked on a few insurance runs in the sixth inning after an Ybarra double plated two and McGinley scolded her 18th career triple to right field to add to her all-time school-record.

CSUSM started out the second game slow with a pair of errors and giving up an RBI single, allowing Simpson to jump out to an early 1-0 edge. The Red Hawks' next batter Kara Wall lined a ball through the right side of the infield to drive in a second run, but CSUSM's Rodriguez gunned down Wall at first base from right field for the game's first out.

The freshman hurler Dagenais was lights out the rest of the way, retiring 21 straight batters other than a hit batter in the top of the sixth in which the runner was immediately wiped out by a 5-4-3 double play.

Despite her dominance in the circle, it looked like Simpson would come out on top until CSUSM finally broke through in the sixth inning. After a long at-bat in which Tani Leasau fouled off a handful of pitches and missed lining a double down the line by less than a foot, the sophomore catcher walked with one out to start the comeback.

After a fielder's choice put Mallory Campbell on first base with two outs, Brenna Parker clubbed a clutch double to left center field, bringing home Campbell and cutting the lead to one.

Olivia Lucatuorto slammed the next pitch into left field, bringing home pinch-runner Taylor Peters to tie the score at 2-2. Ybarra kept the inning alive with an infield single, advancing Lucatuorto to third base. With runners on the corners, the speedy leadoff hitter McGinley charged down the line on a groundball to second base, forcing the Simpson's Cherie DeJesus to hurry and boot the ball, allowing Lucatuorto to score what would hold up to be the winning run.

Dagenais improved to 4-1 with the complete game effort, and lowered her ERA to a miniscule 0.68 in the process. She is holding opposing batters to a .152 batting average.

The Cougars jumped a spot to No. 7 in the NAIA national rankings Tuesday when the first in-season poll was released. CSUSM had been ranked No. 8 in the preseason poll and has now been ranked in the Top-10 for 33 consecutive polls dating back to April 2010. 

CSUSM is now 13-0-1 at home this season, and 20-3-1 overall. Simpson dropped to 20-5 with the pair of losses. The Cougars will hit the road for their next games, playing a doubleheader Monday, March 24 at San Diego Christian before returning home Thursday, March 27 for a doubleheader against Vanguard.