LAKE ELSINORE, CA- The Cougars continued play on Saturday at the D2 West Coast Challenge at Rosetta Canyon Sports Park as they took on Vanguard and Cal State Monterey Bay. A dominant run-rule 12-2 victory over the Lions was followed by a comeback 9-7 win over the Otters to seal another 2-0 day. 

GAME ONE 
CCU jumped ahead early on Vanguard as Feleshe LePenske singled home a pair of runs in the first. Leah Garcia then singled in another run to make it 3-0 early. The Lions scratched one run across in the first, but the Cougars quickly responded in the second for four more runs. 

Arriana Wright notched an RBI single, while LePenske picked up RBI #3 on the day with a run scoring single of her own to make it 5-1. Garica then doubled in a run before Peyton Marvel picked up a sac fly as CCU led 7-1. 

A run in the third from Vanguard in the third could not slow down the Cougars as they exploded for five more runs in the following innings. LePenske launched a solo homer over the right center field fence, while Marvel notched RBI doubles in the fourth and sixth innings to make it 10-2. Maya Schroeder put the finishing touches on the run-rule victory with a two-run single in the sixth to bring the final score to 12-2. 

LePenske was incredible in the circle and in the batters box. Helping herself out at the plate, Felesha notched four RBI with a homer while throwing the entire six innings with five strikeouts to pick up the win. 

GAME TWO
The nightcap against Cal State Monterey Bay turned out to be an entertaining back and forth contest as the two teams traded blows. After the Otters struck first for a pair of runs in the third, CCU quickly tied things up in the bottom of the third as Kat Hansons scored on an error and Wright doubled in the tying run to make it 2-2. 

A big response came in the fourth from CSUMB with three runs scored to put them on top 5-2, but the Cougars had another answer. The game was quickly tied up as Marvel went yard and Hanson blasted a two-run homer to level the game at 5-5. Wright followed with a triple to put her team on top, and LePenske dealt the decisive blow with a two-run home run as the three homers in the fourth gave CCU a 8-5 lead. Abbie Walden singled in another run in the fifth, and CCU held off a late Otters rally to claim the 9-7 victory. 

Hanna Espinoza threw 3.1 innings in relief, allowing just one earned run. The long ball was a key for CCU in this one as three different players hit homers all in the same inning in Marvel, Hanson and Lepenske. 

The Cougars will look to finish the D2 West Coast Challenge 5-0 as they take on Cal State San Bernardino on February 8 at 10:30 a.m. MST.