For the second time in three days, Cougar softball lost the front end of a double-header to a tough GSAC school, but rallied back to win the second.  On Saturday, the opponent was Biola, and the Cougars lost game one 2-1 before taking game two 4-3.

CSUSM ace Melissa Lerno started game one, and was solid as usual, going the full 7 innings.  She got help from the defense behind her, as the Cougars committed no errors and ran down numerous bloopers induced by Lerno.  

Lerno was perfect through 3.1 innings, with Biola finally breaking through with a bunt single in the fourth.  Eagles' pitcher Lyndsie Roberts would follow that up with a double, pushing the game's first run across.

But the Cougars would get the run right back in the bottom of the inning, courtesy of Lauren Nelson.  The lefty first baseman led off the inning by turning on a ball, driving it well over the fence in right to tie the game at 1.  

Biola would re-take the lead in the sixth, however, with Roberts once again knocking in the run.  

CSUSM put two runners in scoring position with two outs in the sixth, thanks to a base hit by Erica Coelho and double by Elizabeth Bush, but Roberts was able to escape the jam.   The Cougars had another shot in the seventh, with slugger Alyssa Dronenburg at the plate as the potential winning run – but Roberts got her to groundout, ending the game in a 2-1 win for Biola.

Game two would get off to a promising start for CSUSM, as Ashman led off with a sharp single to left, Ashley Estepa reached when the throw on her sacrifice bunt attempt drew the first baseman off the bag, and Dronenburg hit a come-backer off the pitcher for a base hit.  But Eagles pitcher Erica Moyer worked out of inducing, getting a pair of outs at the plate and an inning-ending pop-out.

Biola jumped out to the game's first lead in the second inning, as Moyer helped her own cause with a two-out two-run homer to right field.

But the Cougars proved their resilience, powering their way on top on the bottom of the inning.  With two runners on and two outs, outfielder Ashley Estepa stepped to the plate, and rocketed a three-run blast over the fence in left.  While Estepa, the smallest member of the team, may seem like an unlikely source of power, she has a ton of pop, having hit numerous balls this season that came within a few feet of leaving the yard.

Biola tied it 3-3 in the top of the third, as Lauren Gandy tripled to right and scored when the relay was mishandled, but the Cougars would re-take the lead in the fourth.  With two on and two out, Nelson laced a single through the right side, plating Estepa to make it 4-3.

That would be enough to win it.  Ashman, who got the start on the mound for CSUSM, went 6 ½ innings, allowing just the three runs.  Brenna Sandberg came on with one out and one on in the seventh to close out the game and pick up the save.  

Softball's next games will be at the Tucson Invitational, starting March 20th.