Box Score #1
Box Score #2
Photo Gallery (images by Austin McKeon, Meg Williams, & Christor Lukasiewicz)
Brisbane, CA – Two days removed from a near-upset of No. 15 Chico State, the Urban Knights dominated Humboldt State, another CCAA foe, in both sides of a Sunday doubleheader at Mission Blue Field. The opening contest featured an eventful first inning in which Academy of Art scored five runs and eventually went on to win 5-2. In game two, ART U tie the program's single-inning run record with seven in the sixth to earn an 11-3 mercy victory. Sophomore outfielder
Elyse Cordova wielded a hot bat throughout the doubleheader, going 6-for-7 with three runs batted in, a triple, a double, and two runs scored. Junior right-handed pitcher
Kimberly Dauer picked up her first two victories of the year with a pair of complete games.
“Even though we didn't beat Chico, that game [Friday] was huge for us,” head coach Rachel Sherman said. “We have talked a lot about what we need to do and what kind of team we are and Friday's game reassured them how good we are despite that outcome. The confidence and focus definitely carried over into today. Plain and simple, I think we were all tired of losing and were ready to do something about it.”
Though the Lumberjacks scored first to start game one, their lead was short-lived. HSU put up two in the first inning, highlighted by Alicia Reid's RBI double, but as soon as Dauer (2-4) struck out the final batter, it was the Knights' turn to get on the board. After sophomore infielder
Lauren Stover started off with a one-out single, the bases soon became loaded for
Jayme Stewart. The junior catcher would rope a double to score two and then junior
Nicole Smith brought in another pair on a single to center. Cordova added an RBI single which would give ART U a 5-2 lead after the first inning.
Dauer and the Academy of Art defense followed that highly offensive start to the game with a strong performance. The junior righty retired an incredible 17 of the next 20 batters she faced in the contest and allowed just two hits in that span. The Urban Knights managed hits of their own in each of the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings, but did not end up scoring the rest of the way and it was a 5-2 win for ART U to start the day.
“So far this season we have been scoring early but sitting back late in the game,” Coach Sherman said. “Today's first inning was no different. The difference was the defense and the pitching. Humboldt is a very offensive team that you cannot sit back and relax with a lead. I thought Kim and the defense did a great job staying focused and allowing a three-run lead to be enough.”
In the second contest, HSU again went ahead 1-0 in the first, but Dauer was back in her rhythm soon enough and at one point retired seven consecutive Jacks during a span in which she sat down 11 of 13. The third inning saw ART U take a 2-1 lead thanks to an RBI double by Stover and an RBI single from senior infielder
Genna Allen. That advantage became 4-1 the next inning when Cordova banged an RBI triple to the right field and junior outfielder
Julie Martin later knocked her teammate in on a groundout.
Humboldt scored two in the sixth to come within one run of the Knights, 4-3, but the visitors were surely unprepared for what would follow in the bottom half of that inning. Academy of Art's sixth was simply one for the record books.
Beginning with two walks and a single to load the bases, the ART U offense broke through on a bases-clearing triple by senior outfielder
Ashley Lokey followed by her steal of home plate. With Stover at first following a walk, Allen blasted her fourth home run of the year to center and then, after the bases were loaded for the second time, Cordova triggered the mercy rule with an RBI single. The Knights, who ended up winning 11-3, would go on to tie the program record for runs in a single inning with a total of seven (the team's previous mark of seven was set last season against Patten on Apr. 2, 2011).
“Game two's offense is just what we have been waiting for,” Coach Sherman said. “It was great to see so many people come through, hit situationally, execute, and battle at the plate today. Any time you can put up seven runs in a game, you should be able to win, but to put up seven runs in an inning especially later in a game is great! I'm very proud of how we executed today and I'm looking forward to seeing a lot more of that this season.”
On the mound Sunday, Dauer posted two complete game victories, throwing a total of 13.0 innings while limiting Humboldt's powerful offense to just four earned runs with only a single walk. She struck out five Jacks and improved to 2-4 this season. As a team, the Knights moved up to 4-9 overall in 2012.
“Kim threw well today,” Coach Sherman said. “Despite a rough first inning in both games, I think she did a great job coming out strong the remainder of the games and Jayme did a good job working with her on pitch calling. Two complete games is not an easy thing to do and Kim did it with only one walk on the day. She proved that with a strong defense, we can win with throwing ground balls and pop ups.”
Offensively, a series of Academy of Art players were part of the 22-hit, 16-run doubleheader led by Cordova's aforementioned success. Cordova added three RBIs and two runs scored in the second contest. Cordova reached base in six of her seven trips to the plate Sunday afternoon.
“Elyse had a great day at the plate,” Coach Sherman said. “She has so many tools and showed them today. I thought she looked very composed in the box in some crucial situations and that was key to her success. She is doing a great job providing a spark at the end of the lineup and getting things rolling for the top. I'm really proud of how she has adjusted the last few games and I know we will continue to see great things from her.”
Also for ART U, Smith and Stewart each had two RBIs and two runs scored in the first game while combining to go 3-for-5. The first three Academy of Art hitters at the top of the lineup each had a multi-hit game two as Lokey went 2-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored, Stover finished 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored, and finally Allen was 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs, and a run scored.
Humboldt State (6-7) fell below .500 with the two losses on Sunday and, for an offense which came in averaging 9.0 runs per game, the Jacks managed just five total in the doubleheader. Courtney Hiatt provided a solid performance with two multi-hit games and finished the day 4-for-6 with an RBI. In the opener, Jessica George (2-2) tossed a complete 6.0 innings and allowed five runs (one earned) on eight hits with four strikeouts while taking the loss. Game two's starter was Kayla Evans (2-4) who threw 5.1 innings while allowing eight runs on 13 hits with one strikeout in a losing effort.
Academy of Art plays one more road series before the start of PacWest play in early March. The Knights will be in action in Turlock, CA to face Cal State Stanislaus on Wed, Feb. 29.
