AZUSA, Calif. – The Dominican University of California softball team dropped a pair of narrow losses at Azusa Pacific on Saturday.
 
The Penguins were topped 3-0 in the first half of the doubleheader and then fell 5-1 in the second contest.  The Dominican offense was stifled by the Cougars' pitchers, who allowed just seven hits through the two games.
 
As a result, the Penguins' marks fall to 18-24 overall and 15-11 in the PacWest Conference. Dominican remains in fifth place in the conference standings while APU has moved up to the No. 3 spot.
 
The Penguins will return to action on Monday with a road doubleheader at Concordia starting at 2 p.m.
 
Game One: Cougars 3, Penguins 0
 
APU starter Kat Ung limited the Penguins' lineup to two hits, including one from the leadoff hitter McKenzie Schumacher and one from the No. 9 hitter Alexis Chinchilla.
 
The only runs in the game arrived in the bottom of the first, when Cougars' first baseman Kayla Jimenez knocked a three-run homer.
 
Dominican senior pitcher Katelyn Harden put together a stellar performance, scattering five hits in six innings pitched while allowing just three runs.
 
Game Two: Cougars 5, Penguins 1
 
APU once again jumped out to an early lead, scoring twice in the first inning and then adding a run in the third. In the fifth inning, the Cougars totaled a pair of unearned runs to stretch their lead to 5-0.
 
The Penguins struck for their lone run in the top of the seventh inning, when Harden began the rally with a single up the middle. Haley Cheek moved the runner with a one-out infield single. In the next plate appearance, Keely Bowlan reached on an error by the Cougars' shortstop and Harden scored on the play.
 
Despite Dominican getting on the board, the game ended on a lineout to left field.