Less than 24 hours after raking out 30 hits in just 12 innings of play, the Azusa Pacific bats were stymied by a pair of all-conference pitchers as Hawaii Pacific University rolled to a doubleheader sweep, downing the Cougars 9-1 and 6-0.
Azusa Pacific managed just 4 hits on the day, registering 2 hits in each contest, first against Courtney Kessell and then against Southern California local Sherise Musquiz. Together the 2 Sea Warrior hurlers struck out 15 Cougars but struggled a bit with control, walking 9 batters, which could be expected in a season-opening performance.
In the first game, Kessell helped her own cause by ripping a 2-run double down the leftfield line off Cougar pitcher Erin Halma to give the Sea Warriors an early 2-0 advantage in the second inning. In the following frame, HPU took advantage of a Cougar error to score 4 more runs, 3 of which were unearned. Kessell again offered the clutch hit with a 2-run single that put HPU up 6-0 at the time.
The Cougars accounted for their only run on the day in the top of the fifth inning when Halma induced a 2-out, bases-loaded walk to push Bailey Blazek home and cut the Hawaii Pacific advantage to 7-1 at the time. Kessell, however, got out of the jam when she got Cougar clean-up hitter Natalie Mickelson to pop out to end the inning.
The Sea Warriors added 2 more unearned runs, one in the bottom of the fifth and another in the sixth to end the game.
In the nightcap the Cougars could not take advantage of 2-out, first-inning triple by Halma, stranding her at the corner bag for what would prove to be Azusa Pacific’s only scoring threat against Musquiz. The Sea Warriors countered in the bottom of the first by plating a run on Maile Kim’s 2-out double to the gap in left field off Cougar ace Camille Hundley.
The Sea Warriors pushed their lead to 3-0 in the second inning with 2 more 2-out runs.
That was more than enough of a cushion for the Pico Rivera native Musquiz, who struck out 6 and did not allow another hit after Jen Whitten’s 1-out single in the top of the third.
In her first start of the season, Hundley struck out 9, walked 2 and gave up 4 earned runs in her 6 innings of work.
Azusa Pacific returns to the mainland at 2-2 and will be back in action Tuesday (Feb. 10) when the Cougars visit the NAIA’s No. 21-ranked Cal State San Marcos for a noon doubleheader.
