Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
Costa Mesa, Calif.— After recording their 11th consecutive win over Vanguard with a tight 1-0 victory, the Cal State San Marcos softball team  fell 3-0 in the second game after struggling to bring runs across the plate. With the split, the NAIA's top ranked Cougars move to 8-3 on the season, while Vanguard sits at 5-5.

Game 1: CSUSM 1 – Vanguard 0
In her first appearance since throwing a perfect game in the Cougars' home opener, Cortney Allen (5-1) shined once again, pitching a complete game shutout and bringing a perfect game into the sixth inning before allowing her first hit. In all, Allen threw seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out five Lion batters.

Center fielder Alex Miller extended her consecutive at-bat hit streak with a single in the first inning, giving her seven hits in her last seven trips to the plate before flying out to center in the fourth inning.

The game remained scoreless until the sixth inning, in which Kaitlin McGinley and Becka Schneider led off with a pair of singles. Team RBI leader Olivia Lucatuorto brought home the game's only run with a sacrifice fly to left. Through 11 games, Lucatuorto is averaging 1.2 RBI per game and has 13 of the Cougars' 43 RBI on the season.

Though the Lions threatened in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings, the Cougars shut the door with a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
 
Game 2: Vanguard 3 – CSUSM 0
For the second straight game, the Lion pitching staff held the potent Cougar offense without an extra base hit, limiting the chances for CSUSM to get on the board.

The Lions struck first with three runs in the second inning of San Marcos starter Jourdan Lamoureux (3-1), highlighted by a 2-RBI double to right center field. Lamoureux recovered to hold Vanguard scoreless after that, but the Cougar offense was unable to recoup the runs back. Katie Wilkinson pitched the final two innings, allowing just a walk and striking out one.

CSUSM threatened in the fifth inning with Kai Duarte's second hit of the game and a walk by Patricia Banda, but couldn't scratch a run across with two outs. The Cougars pieced together a similar rally in the seventh, but Kaitlin McGinley popped up to end the game with two runners on.

The Cougars will hit the field again Saturday at Biola for another doubleheader starting at 12:00 pm.