AZUSA, Calif. - In a battle of the Cougars, the Cal State San Marcos softball team defeated Azusa Pacific by a final score of 3-2 in the first game of a non-conference doubleheader, Friday at Cougar Softball Complex. CSUSM fell in game two by a final score of 2-0 to split the doubleheader.
 
With the split, CSUSM is now 2-9 on the season. APU is 8-5 overall.

"I was happy with the growth that we had in the first game," said head coach Laurie Nevarez. "It was unfortunate we did not make good adjustments in game two. This is a young team that is starting to gel and you see it every game. They get a little bit better and I feel like this series they got over that hump. " 
 
CSUSM will return to conference play and host Cal State East Bay for a four-game series with doubleheaders on Friday, March 3 and Saturday, March 4. Friday's contests are scheduled to start at noon, while Saturday's games will begin at 11 a.m.
 
Game One - Cal State San Marcos 3, Azusa Pacific 2
CSUSM got six shutout innings from freshman pitcher Cheyenne Alvarez and was able to fend off a seventh inning APU rally to win, 3-2.
 
Alvarez threw all seven innings, giving up one earned run and striking out five. CSUSM had two homers in the game, one from junior catcher Heather Rygg and the other from freshman infielder Gabriela Arizaga. Arizaga finished with two hits, one run and one RBI. Freshman infielder Abby Callais had two hits and one RBI.
 
CSUSM got started right away in the first inning. Senior outfielder Breanna Stiles singled to get on and advanced all the way to third on a hit from Arizaga. Stiles came home on an RBI single from Callais.
 
Rygg hit her first home run in black and blue in the fourth inning to left field on a 3-2 count. Arizaga went yard in the fifth inning as CSUSM went up, 3-0.
 
APU made things interesting in the seventh inning. Erinn Jaramillo homered to cut the margin to two. With two outs, a CSUSM error put runners on first and second. APU got consecutive singles from Illiana Jimenez and Cayla Broussard to make it a one-run game with the bases loaded. Alvarez was able to strike out APU's Nicki Sprague as CSUSM prevailed.
 
Game Two - Azusa Pacific 2, Cal State San Marcos 0
APU pitcher Carly Xepoleas only allowed one hit as CSUSM fell 2-0.
 
CSUSM's lone hit of the game came from Arizaga in the top of the first. Senior pitcher Ashley Dagenais threw six innings and gave up two runs, with one being earned.
 
APU scored in the first inning on a sacrifice fly from Sprague. Two errors came back to bite CSUSM in the top of the second as APU scored another run to claim a 2-0 lead.
 
CSUSM could not get anything going offensively and was ultimately defeated. The only times CSUSM got on base was on Arizaga's single, a hit by pitch to Callais and a walk forced by junior outfielder Sara Langdon.