Box Score #1
Box Score #2

Kaneohe, HI – Academy of Art University and Hawaii Pacific literally weathered the storm Saturday afternoon as a nearly one and half hour rain delay pushed back the doubleheader which HPU ended up winning 7-4 and 9-3. Playing throughout intermittent showers, game one out at Howard A. Okita Field saw the Sea Warriors, holders of the Pacific West Conference's best record, score five runs in the first two innings and, though ART U matched its season-high with 14 hits, the visitors could not complete their comeback en route to the 7-4 decision. The Urban Knights went up 3-0 in game two, but a five-run fifth for HPU turned the tide and eventually rain shortened the contest to five innings.

Hawaii Pacific (15-5, 9-1 PacWest) scored in the first inning of game one, but the Urban Knights (9-18, 5-7 PacWest) would threaten in the top of the second with back-to-back singles by the outfield tandem of sophomore Elyse Cordova and senior Melissa Coe. Though she did not score, Cordova would then add a defensive highlight by making an incredible diving catch in the second after the Sea Warriors had loaded the bases. Her head's up play provided a crucial double play for ART U, but HPU would still plate a total of four runs thanks to a triple by Chante Tesoro.

With Hawaii Pacific now up 5-0, the Knights responded by getting one run back in the third. After sophomore infielder Lauren Stover blasted a double off the centerfield wall, freshman infielder Taylor Thurman would advance her teammate to third by beating out a bunt single. Senior infielder Genna Allen soon got Academy of Art's first run in on a single, but the opportunity was still ripe for ART U one batter later. Junior Jayme Stewart, at the plate as a pinch hitter, unfortunately could not get more home as she lined into an inning-ending double play.

The Sea Warriors would go on to score two in the third before the game began to settle down. Freshman pitcher Kamyle Glover came in to retire nine of the first 11 HPU batters she faced including five consecutive at one point during her relief appearance.

“Kamyle did a great job coming in and kept a good offensive team off balance,” head coach Rachel Sherman said.

An impressive extension by Coe to grab the final out of the fifth created momentum for an offensive breakthrough in the sixth. Cordova would score the Knights' second run on a RBI single by senior outfielder Ashley Lokey to make it 7-2 Hawaii Pacific. ART U fought back with a RBI double from junior catcher Andrea Hanchey and a RBI single from junior infielder Nicole Smith in the seventh, but HPU would get the final outs it needed for the 7-4 win.

“We need to control what we can control and keep the game in our hands instead of the umpires,” Coach Sherman said. “In game one, I thought Elyse, Coe, and Dre did a great job offensively adjusting and putting the ball in play. We just need to string the hits together.”


The Urban Knights struck first in game two with three runs all scoring on the same play in the bottom of the first inning. After Stover and Thurman each singled their way aboard, Allen came up with a clutch two-run double to left center and eventually touched home herself after a throwing error by HPU's catcher.

In the very next inning, however, Hawaii Pacific would scratch its first run across by way of a RBI single with the bases loaded. Freshman Haily MacDonald (2-4), the game two starting pitcher for Academy of Art, was able to respond by getting out of the jam with a groundout and a strikeout. The Sea Warriors would threaten again in the fourth with five runs on five hits and, when the dust had settled, it was HPU up 6-3. The advantage became 9-3 following a three-run rally in the fifth, but the rain started falling much heavier at this point in the evening and forced the game to be called after five innings had been completed.

“In game two, we needed to adjust more often and look for our pitch in the box,” Coach Sherman said. “When we started to do that, the game was taken out of our hands, but we face them again tomorrow and I know we will be better.”

Eight of 10 Urban Knights logged at least one hit in game one which saw a total of 14 hits to tie ART U's team season-high set against Humboldt State back on Feb. 19. Smith led the way with a 3-for-4 performance. In addition to Smith's RBI in the seventh inning of the opener, Hanchey notched an RBI to go with her 2-for-4 outing in that one. Thurman, Cordova, and Coe each had multi-hit outings in the first game, going a combined 6-for-10 with two runs scored. Stover had her team-best eighth double of the season and finished 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored. Allen went 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs, a stolen base, and a run scored in game two. Glover posted a solid relief outing with just three hits allowed through four scoreless innings pitched along with a strikeout.

Kelia Elderts was a big offensive contributor for Hawaii Pacific with her 4-for-6 day which included three RBIs and four runs scored. Breanne Patton (9-1), another ace hit hard by Academy of Art, would allow four runs on 14 hits with two strikeouts in the opener. The second contest was won by Melissa Kirby (5-3) who surrendered three runs on five hits with one strikeout.

Weather permitting, the series between ART U and HPU will continue tomorrow with a doubleheader set to begin at 1:00 PM HST (4:00 PM PST) out at Howard A. Okita Field once again.