Coming off a big win over USD yesterday, Cougar softball was within a couple innings of a three game winning streak on Saturday, but it was not to be.  The Cougars won game one at home over Vanguard 9-1, but lost game two 5-4.

CSUSM is now 22-16 on the year.

In game one, the Cougar lineup looked poised to strike early, getting multiple base hits in both the first and second inning but narrowly missing out on runs.  They would plate their first run in the third, thanks to a leadoff bomb by Ashley Estepa, her second home run of the season.

But San Marcos was far from done.  Alyssa Dronenburg, Lauren Nelson, and Erica Coelho followed up Estepa by all reaching base, knocking out Vanguard's starting pitcher and loading the bases for Elizabeth Bush.  Bush would waste little time greeting the new pitcher, lining a solid single through the left side to make it 2-0.  Tasha Stokes kept it going with an RBI single up the middle to make it 3-0.  After an out, Shanti Poston cranked a double to the gap in left center, plating two runs and pushing the lead to 5-0.

Estepa made her way to the plate again with two outs, and she would once again put a charge into one, just missing her second home run of the inning by mere feet.  She would settle for a two-RBI double, and then come in to score when Dronenburg followed with a booming double of her own.  When the dust finally settled, the Cougars had scored 8 runs on 8 hits, and held a commanding 8-0 lead.

On the mound, Melissa Lerno didn't have her A+ stuff, but was still effective in 3 1/3 innings pitched.  Chanel Rose took over with the bases loaded and one out in the fourth, and promptly induced two easy grounders to get out of the inning with no damage.  Rose finished off the game, allowing just one unearned run and picking up the win.

After Vanguard avoided the mercy rule with a run in the fifth, the Cougars would invoke it in the sixth, as pinch runner Lise Leibl scored on a wild pitch to end the game at 9-1. 

In game two, Vanguard pushed across a run with two outs in the top of the first, but CSUSM bounced right back in the bottom of the inning.  Alicia Ingram and Estepa led off with walks, and Coelho smashed an RBI double to the gap in left center.  Dronenburg was then hit by a pitch, and a passed ball brought Estepa home.  Stokes then bled out a walk to plate Coelho, and Lerno was robbed of a hit by the shortstop but still got a run home.  The Cougars would hold a 4-1 lead at the end of one inning.

After three scoreless innings, Vanguard would rally with two outs in the fifth.  They took a 5-4 lead, with the big blow coming on a bases-clearing 3 RBI double by Stephanie Leisenring.  The Cougars made comeback bids in the game's final two innings, but couldn't get a run across, and ended up falling 5-4.

CSUSM will be playing at Concordia on Tuesday.