IRVINE, Calif. - Behind its strong pitching staff, the nationally-ranked Concordia Golden Eagles took two from visiting Vanguard on Wednesday while collecting 21 total hits on offense.

Jayden Nishi improved to 9-0 after pitching five stellar innings and only allowing one run. Meanwhile, CUI freshmen right-handers Kacie Gossett and Kailey Estes combined to go 7.2 innings without allowing a single run during their time in the circle.

Kayle Rodgers led the offense with a pair of homers and finished the day with 5 RBI as CUI improved to 13-1 in conference play and 23-4 overall.

Game 1: No. 23 CUI 5, Vanguard 1

Shelli Faulk opened the scoring with a clutch two-run double in the bottom of the second.  Two of her three hits on the afternoon came in game one.

Rodgers crushed a solo homer in the third inning and parked a two-run blast to almost the same spot over the right-center field wall in the fifth. She finished this game 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and now leads CUI with six homers this season.

Nishi was in control in the circle for her five innings of work. She coerced ground outs for six of Vanguard's first seven outs and the only damage against her was a solo homer in the fourth after CUI had already taken a 3-0 lead.  She only allowed three hits on the day.

Nishi helped turn a key double play in the fifth inning to notch her third frame of facing just the minimum of three batters.

Estes then stepped in and calmly set down the Lions for the final two frames. She did not allow any hits, accidentally hit just one batter and was nearly perfect in her two scoreless innings of work.

Game 1: No. 23 CUI 8, Vanguard 6

After falling behind 6-2 in the first couple innings, the Golden Eagles clawed their way back into the contest.  Kayla Simpson walloped a solo homer in the bottom of the second to cut the deficit to 6-3.

Another two-run double by Faulk in the fifth helped get CUI within one run, 6-5, and set the stage for a memorable sequence the following inning.

Rodgers smacked the go-ahead two-run single through the right side to plate Mya Diaz and Jessica Im.  A timely RBI double by Kaliya Yco scored Rodgers to boost the CUI lead to 8-6.

Gossett was brilliant to keep CUI in it, and went 5.2 scoreless innings to improve to 4-0 with the win in relief.  She finished with six strikeouts and fittingly ended the evening with a K.

Next up is a rematch between these two programs this Saturday over in Costa Mesa.  The PacWest Conference doubleheader begins at 12 p.m. PT at Vanguard

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