On Friday, the Eagles began PacWest play with a pair of exhilarating games against Biola University.  In game one, pitching and timely hitting propelled the Eagles to a win, and in game two, Megan Massa delivered a walk off home run in the bottom of the seventh to secure the sweep.  Following Friday's action, there was a quick turnaround for the Eagles.  On Saturday, they traveled to Azusa Pacific to take on the APU Cougars and they put on a show.

Game one:  Friday night ended with a big blast for Concordia and Saturday's action began with more offensive fireworks.  Before Callie Nunes could even set foot on the mound for the Eagles, she had a massive lead to work with.  The CUI offense scored 11 first inning runs, collecting six hits, drawing two walks, and taking advantage of two hit batters and four APU errors.  With the bases loaded and no outs, Sydney Sprinkle got the Eagles on the board, singling to right field.  Michelle Lieng and Mackenzie Graham continued the hit parade and soon the game turned into a quick route.  The Eagles continued to send batters to the plate and they continued to produce.  15 batters hit in the inning before the inning finally came to a close.  The 11 runs scored is the most scored in an inning by the Eagles this season and just two short of the most they have scored in a single game this year.

In the second inning, the Eagles added two more, matching their season high in runs scored.  After Sarah Kretschmar, Heather Nonora, and Massa all reached to load the bases, Danielle Michaels drew a walk to earn an RBI and put the Eagles up by a dozen.  Two batters later, Sprinkle walked again and CUI scored another.

"We hit the ball hard all day today from the first at-bat," said CUI head coach Crystal Rosenthal. "We did a great job on offense. Our main objective is to improve every day. That has always been our focus, control what we can and continue to work hard."

While the offense had everything working in game one, the pitching was stellar as usual.  It was a light game for Nunes on the mound, as she was only needed for three innings.  Nunes gave up just one hit and struck out five before Erika Morris closed out the game with two perfect innings.  The Eagles won game one 13-0 in five innings, their 10th consecutive win of the season.

Lieng finished three-for-four at the plate.  Massa, Michaels, Amanda Gjertsen, Kretschmar, and Nonora each scored two runs for the Eagles.  The CUI pitchers combined to give up just one hit, and Nunes earned her seventh win of the season.

Game two: After an abbreviated start in the opener, Nunes was back on the mound for the Eagles in the second game.  Though the Eagles didn't jump out to a huge lead in the top of the first again, it was more of the same for Nunes.  She again pitched well, and after each team was scoreless through two, the Eagles pulled ahead in the third inning.  Mackenzie Graham led off the third with an infield single and Lauren Lopez followed up Graham's hit with a bunt single of her own.  With two runners on, Massa doubled to left center to bring in both runners and put the Eagles on top, 2-0.

The Eagles added two more runs in the sixth inning.  With two outs, Sprinkle took a 0-1 pitch and ripped a home run to left center field.  Alyssa Turner and Kretschmar each singled following the home run, and Thorpe brought in a run on a single of her own.  By the middle of the fifth inning the Eagles led 4-0.  Later with two on and two outs in the seventh, Erika Morris doubled to left center to bring home Myka Hughes and put the Eagles up 5-0.

For the second game in a row, Nunes was dominant.  The PacWest Pitcher of the Week struck out 12 hitters, gave up five hits, and finished with a complete game shutout to earn the win, her second of the day and eighth of the season.

Eagle Eye: Massa finished 2-for-4 at the plate with two doubles, McKinsey Thorpe finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored.

What's next: The Eagles take on Cal State East Bay on Tuesday, March 5 at 12:00 PM in Hayward, California.

For the complete CUI softball schedule, click here.