Brenna Sandberg tossed 14 shutout innings as the #16-ranked Cougar softball team picked up its two biggest wins of the season in front of the home crowd, defeating #3-ranked Point Loma Nazarene 1-0 and 4-0.

CSUSM improves to 28-10 this season.  Point Loma falls to 21-7.

In game one, Sandberg out-dueled Sea Lions' All-American Tyler Lent, who entered the game with an ERA below 0.50.  The Cougar offense manage to scratch out one run against her in the bottom of the inning, as Alicia Ingram came home to score on a clean single up the middle by Alyssa Dronenburg.

That would be all the support Sandberg needed, as she shut down the powerful Point Loma offense, allowing just 3 hits and no walks while striking out 9.  She went the full 7 innings to secure the victory.

Third baseman Lauren Nelson was 2-for-3 in the game, and outfielder Ciera Ashman had a big base hit that led to the game's only run.

In game two, Sandberg, the NAIA leader in wins, added one more to her total with another dominating performance.  Once again working walk-free, Sandberg lost a no-hitter in the seventh and final inning, settling for a 7 inning, 1 hit, 6 strikeout complete game shutout.  She improves to an NAIA-best 26-7 on the year.

Meanwhile, the Cougar offense continued to battle at the plate and generate scoring opportunities.  Point Loma starter Hanna Faria didn't allow a hit through three innings, but a bloop single by Ashman in the fourth opened the floodgates.  Dronenburg promptly crushed her team-leading 14^th home run of the season well over the fence in right-center, making it 2-0.  Erica Coelho and Shanti Poston then singled, and with two outs, Ashley Estepa delivered a huge base hit to plate both and give CSUSM the comfortable 4-0 lead.

Point Loma's Jenel Guadagno led off the seventh with a single just in front of the left fielder to break up the no-hitter, but Sandberg easily worked through the inning to seal the win.

The red-hot Cougars will face another very tough test this Saturday at home against Azusa Pacific.