For the second time in a month, Azusa Pacific spent a day at the Sun West Tournament in Orange County, and once again the Cougars brought out the heavy bats to produce 2 mercy-rule victories over a pair of over-matched foes.
In the opening game, the Cougars crushed NCAA Division III power Williams College of Williamstown, Mass., 15-2, ripping off 18 hits in just 5 innings of play. In the second game, the Cougars kept up the offensive show and dumped NAIA member Taylor University of Upland, Ind., 8-0 in just 5 innings as well.
Over the previous week of play, Azusa Pacific had scored just 6 runs in 4 games while dropping 3 of those contests. However, the Cougars righted the ship at the Sun West Tournament in similar fashion to what they did 2 weeks ago when they first appeared in the month-long Sun West Tournament. In 4 games now at the Sun West, Azusa Pacific has out-scored its foe by combined scored of 54-2.
In today’s first game, Azusa Pacific scored all 15 runs in the first 3 innings, using a 5-run second to blow open the game and take a 6-0 lead. Cassie Sweeney launched her first home run of the season, a 1-out grand slam to jettison the Cougar offense.
Azusa Pacific followed with a 9-run third inning. The first 6 Cougars reached base, and freshman pitcher Camille Hundley helped her own cause with 2 hits in the inning, including her first-ever double, and 3 RBIs.
Seven different Cougars had a least 2 hits in the game while Hundley, Tami Carter and Lori Shimasaki all had 3 hits. Sweeney finished with 5 RBIs. Hundley pitched 4 innings, surrendering just 1 hit while striking out 5 to pick up the win and improve to 4-4 on the season.
Against Taylor, the Cougars parlayed 4 singles and a pair of walks, all with 1 out, into a 5-run fifth inning and end the game on Carter’s sacrifice fly to right field that scored pinch-runner Bailey Blazek with the game-ending run.
Azusa Pacific tallied 11 more hits on the day with Shimasaki, Sweeney and Shawna Paxton all collecting a pair of safeties. Sweeney had a 2-run single to highlight the 5-run fifth inning.
Senior pitcher Michelle Coleman was the main benefactor of the Cougars’ offensive outburst, working all 5 innings, allowing just 3 Trojans to reach base while striking out 4 to post her second shutout of the season and improve to a team-best 5-1 on the season.
On the day, Shimasaki was 5-for-6 with 5 runs scored while pushing her hitting streak to 10 games. Sweeney was 4-for-6 with 7 RBIs to now lead the team with 23 RBIs on the season. Carter was also 4-for-6 with a pair of doubles and 2 RBIs
With the 2 victories, Azusa Pacific improves to 14-9 on the season. Williams, which a year ago advanced to the NCAA Division III Elite Eight, falls to 6-6 on the season in games all played this week at the Sun West Tournament. Taylor, which couldn’t get its season started last week because of bad weather in Indiana, falls to 0-2 on its young season.
