Box Score #1
Box Score #2

Brisbane, CA – A resounding crack of the bat could be heard in the late afternoon at Mission Blue Field as freshman Taylor Thurman blasted a two-run homer over the left field fence to help the Urban Knights defeat Grand Canyon 4-3 in the eighth inning of game two. Though GCU won Sunday's first contest 7-2 with a late four-run rally, Academy of Art responded by getting a pair of key hits and rode junior starting pitcher Kimberly Dauer's fifth complete game of the year to the team's first Pacific West Conference victory. In the second game, the tandem of Thurman and freshman Haily MacDonald combined to go 4-for-8 with a home run, a double, and four runs batted in.

“It was great to see the young ones come through,” head coach Rachel Sherman said. “Anytime freshmen can come up big, it says a lot about the future of your program. Taylor and Haily both have great attitudes and work so hard. It's good for them to see the results of their work.”

The day began with both teams trading three scoreless innings as MacDonald, the starting pitcher in game one, at one point retired eight consecutive Antelopes. GCU then managed to push across two runs in the fourth with back-to-back RBI doubles from Lauren Regester and Stephanie Smith. ART U took advantage of Grand Canyon miscues to get one run back in their half of the inning, but the 'Lopes would use another RBI double in the fifth to go ahead 3-1.

After a quick out in the sixth, GCU vaulted ahead on a three-run homer by Vanessa Chavez and soon had a 7-1 lead heading into the seventh. Never one to throw in the towel, Academy of Art started its own late rally with an Ashley Lokey one-out single followed by sophomore infielder Lauren Stover's RBI double. The Antelopes, however, would finish the game without sustaining further damage and win 7-2.


Through the first four innings of the second contest, both offenses were kept rather quiet with the exception of a second homer by Chavez in the second. Dauer retired the first five batters she faced in the game and, following the home run, she posted three more scoreless frames. The Urban Knights had their first clutch hit of the game come off MacDonald's bat in the fifth after the table had been set by an Elyse Cordova single and a Lokey walk. With two outs, MacDonald crushed an 0-2 pitch to the gap in left center and put ART U ahead 2-1.

Dauer shut down the Antelopes in the fifth, but GCU tied the game 2-2 with a three-hit rally in the sixth. Though Grand Canyon could have gotten more than a single run in that inning having had the bases loaded and a pinch hitter at the plate, Dauer kept her cool and struck out the final batter. Academy of Art had a chance to take a lead in the seventh with runners at second and third, but a double play by the GCU infield kept the game going eventually into extra innings.

Junior utility Andrea Hanchey started off the eighth by reaching on an error and it would prove costly for the 'Lopes who watched Thurman then blast a two-run homer to left, putting the Urban Knights up 4-2. Grand Canyon did not go down without a fight as the designated home team homered in their half of the eighth to reduce the margin to a lone run. Dauer stayed focused in what had become an even closer game and struck out the final two batters en route to ART U's 4-3 win in the series finale.

“Our team feeds off clutch so that brought our energy back up to help us stay focused and determined,” Coach Sherman said.

Following this first PacWest series, Academy of Art University is now 5-12 overall, 1-3 in conference play.  Thurman had a memorable game two, going 2-for-4 with the first home run of her career along with two RBIs and a run scored. In the second game, MacDonald went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. MacDonald (1-2), the game one starting pitcher, went 5.1 innings, but wound up taking the loss. The second game's defensive heroine was Dauer who limited GCU to just three runs on six hits in a complete 8.0 innings. She walked only one and struck out seven which was two shy of her career-high.

“I thought Kim threw the ball well,” Coach Sherman said. “Yes, she had mistakes, but those mistakes didn't hurt us and she learned from them. Today was another good outing for Kim and I'm excited for many more from her.”

For Grand Canyon (10-7, 3-1 PWC), Chavez led the way in game one, going 1-for-3 with the three-run home run, then added another homer in the second contest. Kiley Raica picked up her seventh win of the season with a complete game effort in the day's opener. Janelle Christman (1-2) sustained the game two loss as she was the pitcher who gave up the late home run to Thurman.

“Our conference is tough, so even though we only got one win this weekend, it broke the ice and we will continue to learn to get better going into conference play,” Coach Sherman said.

Academy of Art has another non-conference doubleheader to play before its next PacWest series. The Knights were originally scheduled to face Cal State Stanislaus this past Wednesday, but a rainout pushed the games to this Wednesday, Mar. 7 at 12:00 PM in Turlock, CA.