ROHNERT PARK -- Cal State San Bernardino's softball team has found it hard to win road games all season and none was any harder to swallow than Friday's doubleheader sweep at the hands of Sonoma State, 6-1, and 3-0.
       The two losses dropped the Coyotes into seventh place at 12-14 in the CCAA with six conference games remaining and 21-29 overall with eight games left on the regular season schedule.  The Coyotes are now 6-16 this season playing games in their opponents' ballpark.
       Sonoma State climbed over the Coyotes in the CCAA standings at 13-12, good for at least fifth place in the conference and 29-19 overall, which bodes well for the Seawolves, currently ranked No.6 in the West Region.
       CSUSB trails fourth-place UC San Diego by three games in the loss column and needs to be in the top four to make the CCAA conference championship tournament for the second straight year. The Coyotes need to get to at least .500 to be in a position to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament.
       SSU pitcher Lindsay Emmel was a catalyst for the Seawolves, hurling 11 innings, giving up just one run on five hits and striking out 12 to earn the victory in both games and improve to 13-9. Sonoma State got to first-game starter Courtney Wilhelms for six runs in the first two innings, two of which were unearned.
       Wilhelms pitched shutout ball over the final four innings, allowing just three hits, but the damage was done and Emmel was brilliant, giving up just the one run on two hits while fanning six and walking one. CSUSB got its run in the top of the first when Debbis Shisler led off with a walk, stole second and scored as Ashley Collinwood drove a ball into left field and was caught in a rundown between first and second.
       Felicia Cervantes and Felicia Shepler got the only two hits of the game off Emmel. Tori Beaudette was hit by a pitch for the 15th time this season, second most in the CCAA.
        Nicole Cordova and Simone Brandalise each had two hits and drove in two runs for Sonoma State.
        In game two, Brittany Reynolds had a no-hitter going through three innings with four strikouts, but was lifted in favor of Emmel in the fourth. Emmel blanked CSUSB on three hits and fanned six without walking a batter.
        Shisler, the CCAA pitcher of the week for her pair of wins over UC San Diego last weekend, pitched well, going six innings, giving up eight hits and three runs with three stikeouts but receipted for her ninth loss of the season against 12 wins.
         Collinwood was 2-for-2 in the game for CSUSB while Cervantes picked up the other hit.
         CSUSB had a chance to break the ice in the seventh inning. Collinwood and Cervantes opened the inning with back-to-back singles but Priscilla Curiel flied out, Beaudette struck out swinging and Emmel got pinch-hitter Maggie Karros to pop out to third to end the game.