Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 First baseman Lauren Nelson provided the pop, and the Cougar pitching staff turned in an outstanding performance on Friday, as #21 CSUSM swept Concordia in front of the home crowd at Mission Hills High.  The Cougars took game one 3-1 and followed that up with a 3-0 shutout in game two.

Cal State San Marcos is now 3-2 on the season, while Concordia is 7-3.

In game one, Cougar starter Melissa Lerno turned in a very strong performance, going the distance while allowing just one run.  That run came in the third, as Concordia strung together a couple base hits to make it 1-0.

But Nelson made sure that lead didn't last long, turning on a pitch right in her wheelhouse and driving it over the fence in right field to lead off the fourth.  This is the first season CSUSM has set up temporary fencing for home games, and it's already paying off:  the Cougars had not hit a single over-the-fence home run at home in their two seasons prior to this one.

Nelson would strike again in the fifth.  After a costly error by Concordia extended the inning, Nelson came up with two runners in scoring position and drove them both in with a solid single to right. 

That put the Cougars up 3-1, and that would be all Lerno would need.  The Cougar ace got stronger as the game went on, allowing just one base runner in the game's final three innings.  Second baseman Erica Coelho helped the cause, making a fantastic diving play to end the sixth and prevent a potential rally.  Lerno picked up the win with a line of 7 innings pitched, 6 hits, 1 run, 4 strikeouts, and 1 walk.

For game two, Coach Kelly Warren sent out starting pitcher Ashley Salvino for her first start of the season, and the sophomore came through. 

Salvino forces the opposing team to beat her; she throws strikes, doesn't walk anyone, and keeps the ball in the ballpark.  As such, the defense behind her plays a large part in her success – and on Friday, the Cougar defense was up to the task.

Salvino worked around a leadoff triple in the first inning to hold Concordia scoreless.  After Nelson gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the frame by drilling a two-out RBI single, Salvino stranded runners at the corners in the second, thanks to a nice running catch by Ciera Ashman in deep right center field. 

The defense continued in the fourth, as right fielder Ashley Estepa gunned down a runner trying to score to end the inning.

Salvino would give way to Brenna Sandberg to start the fifth, and Sandberg made quick work of the Concordia lineup in the fifth and six.  Freshman slugger Alyssa Dronenburg provided the finishing blow for the Cougars in the bottom of the sixth, crushing a monster two-run homer to right.  On the young season, Dronenburg is hitting .538 with 3 home runs and 5 RBI.  Sandberg would cruise through the seventh to secure the 3-0 victory.

Weather-permitting, the Cougars will be in action again tomorrow at Mission Hills High when they host Chapman at noon.