Tayler Wilson beat out an infield grounder for a hit with two out, allowing Sara Bird to score the winning run in the bottom of the eighth Tuesday as Cal State San Bernardino edged Azusa Pacific, 6-5, in the first game of their non-conference softball doubleheader at Coyote Softball Park.
    The Coyotes then jumped on the Cougars for five runs in the first inning of the nightcap en route to a 9-1 victory that was halted in the bottom of the fifth by the eight-run mercy rule. CSUSB is now 25-23-1 on the season while APU dipped to 17-18.
    Senior right-hander Jackie Jacob earned the win in both games, coming on in relief to improve her season record to 9-6. She pitched a total of 4.2 innings, allowing just one run and one hit during her time in the circle. Camille Hundley (9-8) took the loss in game one for APU while Jeannette Murad (2-4) was the loser in game two.
    The Coyotes jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game one thanks to a leadoff home run by Jordan Dahl, her eighth of the season and a double by Jamie Lowe who later scored on a sacrifice fly by Sara Bird.
    After that, Hundley kept the Coyote bats quiet while her teammates battled back with five runs to take a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
    Bekah Weisser singled in two runs in the fourth to tie the game at 2-2. Natalie Mickelson than hit her fourth home run of the season in the fifth to gave APU a 3-2 lead. The Cougars added two more in the sixth on an RBI double by Nicole Llorens, who later stole home on the back end of a double steal.
    However, the Coyotes rallied for three runs in their final at bat to force extra innings. Tori Beaudette was hit by a pitch and Wilson reached base on a fielder's choice with Beaudette beating the force play at second. Debbie Shisler singled to load the bases. Dahl singled up the middle to score Beaudette but Wilson was thrown out at the plate as Shisler and Dahl advanced to second and third.
    With two down, Lowe walked to load the bases again and Ashley Collinwood drove  home Shisler and Dahl with a single to right center to make it 5-5.
    In the bottom of the eighth, Bird was placed on second under the international tie-breaker rule and immediately moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Nicole Camarena. Jeannette Murad relieved Hundley in the circle and walked Jacquelyn Holtzclaw, then struck out Beaudette. However, Wilson beat out a ground ball to second as Bird scored the winning run in the game that lasted two hours and 30 minutes.
    The Coyotes began game two by scoring five runs on three hits and an APU error and added two more runs in the second on one hit, two Cougars errors and a wild pitch for a 7-0 advantage.
    Azusa Pacific scored its only run in the fourth when Murad, who reached base on a Coyotes' error, came home on a wild pitch.
    CSUSB made it 8-1 in the bottom of the fourth as Collinwood belted her sixth homer of the season over the right field fence. The final run came in the bottom of the fifth as pinch-hitter Jocelyn Perry doubled to right center and came home when Dahl's sacrifice bunt resulted in an error on the throw to first. The Coyotes are now 16-7 in 23 home games this season.
    The Coyotes resume CCAA conference action on Friday with a doubleheader at Humboldt State. The same two teams meet on Saturday at 11 a.m. for two games. CSUSB is 10-8 in the conference to this point.