IRVINE, CA- CCU was back in action on day two of the CUI Kickoff Classic, and they came ready to play, shutting out both of their opponents in a pair of convincing wins. Taking on Hawaii Pacific in the first game of the day, they claimed a 6-0 victory, followed by a 4-0 shutout of San Francisco State.

GAME ONE
Taking on the Sharks in game one, a pitching duel quickly developed. Alexis Hamilton was on the mound for CCU, facing off against HPU's Taylor Thompson. The two teams struggled to get anything going early on, as the tally stood at 0-0 heading into the sixth. That's when things really got going offensively for the Cougars. Taylor Olsen started the inning off with a single, followed by a Leah Garcia single. Samaria Roop then stepped up and smacked a two RBI double to break the gridlock, However, Colorado Christian was not done. Kayla Middleton followed with a double to make, and Roope came around to score on an error from the Hawaii Pacific shortstop. Skyler Dietz singled another run home to make it 4-0. Dietz then came around to score on a wild pitch, and a bases-loaded walk of Olsen sent the score to 6-0. Hamilton continued to toss a gem from there, shutting down the Sharks with a complete game shutout, as her team went on to win 6-0. 

Hamilton tossed seven full innings, only allowing three hits and striking out three batters. Roope led the offense with her rally starting two run double. 

GAME TWO
The Cougars took on San Francisco State in their second game of the day, and they were quick to strike. After Kenzie Middleton and Sami Edwards hit consecutive singles, Olsen picked up a sac fly to quickly make it 1-0. Kali Crandall then went to work on the Gators, shutting them down entirely. CCU could not stretch the lead over their opponent for much of the game, but like their first contest of the day, the sixth inning proved to be a good one. It began with a Savannah Tourville single, and then Miki Berg doubled to score her. Ellie Smith then gave CCU even more insurance with a double that saw both Cougar baserunners score and make it 4-0. One inning remained after that, and Crandall struck the last three batters out to end the game.

Crandall was scorching hot from the mound, twirling a near no-hitter with just one hit allowed on and an incredible 15 strikeouts to set the program record in that category. Clutch hitting led to a 4-0 win and a perfect 2-0 day for the Cougars.

Up next is their final two games of the CUI Kickoff Classic, beginning with a 10 a.m. matchup against Chico State and ending with an 11:30 p.m. tilt against University of Hawaii at Hilo.