AZUSA, Calif. – The Dominican University of California softball team encountered a tough start to its Southern California trip, dropping a pair of games on Friday at Azusa Pacific.
 
The fifth-place Penguins fall to 18-22 overall and 15-9 in the PacWest Conference.  APU has the same number of conference wins with a 15-7 mark, ranking at No. 4 in the standings.
 
The Cougars topped Dominican 6-0 in the first game Friday and then earned a 10-5 victory in the second contest. The two squads will return to action in Azusa on Saturday with a 12 p.m. first pitch for the doubleheader.
 
Game One: Cougars 6, Penguins 0
 
Despite Dominican collecting seven hits, the visitors couldn't tally a run against APU starter Carly Xepoleas.
 
McKenzie Schumacher and Dahlen Dennis registered two hits apiece while Penguins' pitcher Katelyn Harden knocked a basehit to try and help her cause.
 
The Cougars' offense managed to score five earned runs against Harden. APU scored twice in the third, once in the fourth and then added three runs in the sixth.

Game Two: Cougars 10, Penguins 5
 
Dominican took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, when Dennis delivered a sacrifice fly to bring in Schumacher. The Penguins' advantage didn't last long though as the Cougars posted four runs in the bottom half of the inning.
 
The visiting squad didn't back down from the challenge though, rallying for four runs in the top of the third to retake a 5-4 edge. In that big Penguins' rally, Alexis Chinchilla and Schumacher initiated the inning with back-to-back walks on 3-2 counts.
 
Dominican scored its first run of that rally on a passed ball and then Catlyn Cavender knocked a two-run triple as Alyssa Lanza and Schumacher scored on the play. The final Penguins' run of the inning came from a sacrifice fly delivered by Mady Christensen.
 
APU stormed back with a six-run rally in the bottom of the third and the score remained 10-5 for the remainder of the contest.