LOS ANGELES — With a pair of victories over Dakota Wesleyan on Monday, the Occidental College softball team extended its winning streak to three and improved its record to .500 for the first time since Feb. 16.

Just a day after the Tigers traveled to Thousand Oaks and split at SCIAC-rival Cal Lutheran — capturing the second game 8-7 in extra innings — they returned home for a non-conference doubleheader against DWU and won 8-3 and 6-2, respectively.

Though Dakota Wesleyan's Meghan Bovee put her team up 2-0 with a two-RBI double in the bottom of the first, Oxy came roaring back in the bottom of the frame with two runs of its own to equalize the contest. Jerika Barron (Half Moon Bay) led off the inning with a walk and subsequently advanced to third on an Ali Goldberg (Los Altos) sacrifice bunt. Jacqueline Shimamoto (Santa Clarita) — who finished Game 1 a triple shy of the cycle, went a perfect 4 for 4 and was part of every Occidental run with five RBI and three scored — hit an infield single on which Barron was able to score by sliding in just under the Kelsey Newman tag. Ashley Noone (Orange) then drove Shimamoto home with a base hit through the right side of the infield.

After a pedestrian second inning, the Tigers went off for three more runs in the third. DWU pitcher Jill Dickson hit Goldberg with a pitch to start the inning and Goldberg later swiped second to put herself in scoring position. Shimamoto drove Goldberg in on a double to center before another Noone single moved Shimamoto to third and set up a Kristine Kocjan (Redwood City) sacrifice fly. Control problems again became an issue for Dickson as she walked Meghan Luera (Pasadena), Patricia Phillimeano (Roseville) and Mariah Montgomery (Riverside) consecutively, allowing Noone to score and capping the inning with a 5-2 Occidental lead.

The long ball came into effect for the Tigers in the bottom of the fourth, as Shimamoto hit a two-run homer to right center that drove in Goldberg, who had previously led off the inning with a base knock. Shimamoto struck again in the fifth, driving in Barron with her second double of the game, making the score 8-2 in favor of Oxy.

"Everyone in our lineup hit the ball hard today," Occidental head coach Ali Haehnel said. "Our hitters executed the short game, moved runners over and most importantly came up clutch when we had runners in scoring position. Our hitters were selfless at the plate and it is clear that their hard work is paying off with their solid hitting."

Game 2 began in a similar manner to Game 1, with Dakota Wesleyan opening the scoring in the top of the first and Oxy responding quickly. Morgan Giusti (Millbrae) launched a towering solo shot to deep left center field that hit the top of the camera operator's tent and tied the contest at one apiece. She would add her second extra-base hit of the game in the top of the sixth as she rallied to a 3 for 6 day with one RBI and one run scored.

Occidental kept the rhythm going in the bottom of the third, tacking on two more runs on a Luera single that scored Shimamoto and Goldberg. Goldberg finished the afternoon 3 for 6 with three runs and Luera went 2 for 6 with two RBI.

Barron, who led off every odd inning for the Tigers in Game 2, hit a leadoff bomb to left field in the bottom of the fifth and bunted for an RBI-single in the sixth that plated Julia Nicholson (Upland). Nicholson had reached base on an error that allowed for Kathleen McLain (Washington, D.C.) to score after she had entered the game as a pinch runner for Giusti following Giusti's leadoff double. Barron's RBI capped the scoring for the day, giving Occidental a 6-2 lead that would go on to be the final Game 2 score.

Barron finished the afternoon 3 for 7 with two RBI and three runs and teamed up with Luera to play lockdown defense on the left side of the infield down the stretch. Both players committed uncharacteristic errors in Game 1, but rebounded by flashing the leather to save runs and record timely putouts. Barron's highlight was a leaping grab with runners on the corners and Luera prevented an RBI extra-base hit with a diving stop down the line.

"Our defense played tough behind our pitchers and executed some tough plays," Haehnel said. "Jerika came up with some stellar plays up the middle. Kristine and Ashley were in command behind the plate. They both called great games and supported our pitching staff. We're seeing great work from both of them."

Both backstops got the post-game mention from Haehnel because their battery mates both recorded complete games for Occidental. Brittany Vacura (Elk Grove) stomped out DWU's comeback effort in Game 1, allowing just one run beyond the first inning. She earned the victory, striking out six and scattering five hits on three earned runs. Likewise, Amber Garland (Torrance) went the distance in Game 2, striking out one and giving up just two earned runs on five hits.

"Our pitchers, Brittany and Amber, were solid in the circle," Haehnel said. "Throwing complete games, competing all seven innings and staying tough in pressure situations is what we need to see out of our starters. They really led us and controlled the pace of the game today."

The Tigers (9-9, 2-6 SCIAC) continue their spring break non-conference play on Tuesday, hosting a doubleheader against Stevens Institute at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.