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Photo Gallery (images by Meg Williams)

Brisbane, CA – Although Academy of Art University Softball executed two sound team victories on Friday, it was UH Hilo who capitalized on Urban Knight miscues for two wins of its own Saturday. Game one was a 1-0 affair until a three-run rally by the Vulcans in the fourth led to a 4-2 final despite efforts by Academy of Art to mount a comeback. The second contest had Hilo again up, this time 5-0, before a ferocious fifth inning saw the Knights fight all the way back to tie it 5-5. The Vulcans scored three runs (two unearned) in the final two innings to take an 8-5 victory in the series finale out at Mission Blue Field.

"Yesterday, we had a lot of fight and we did not have any major mental lapses," co-head coach Randy Ward said. "Today, we had the same fight, but several major mental mistakes at the wrong time that cost us a chance to come back and pull out victories."

Senior Kimberly Dauer (2-5) returned to the circle to start the day's action and her opening inning was spotless with two strikeouts. ART U had a chance against Hilo's Vanessa Salinas (5-4) after a two-out double by junior Lauren Stover, but the Vulcans came away unscathed.

Hilo would convert in the second inning, however, doing so on an Ashley Nunez double followed by a double steal and a throwing error. That 1-0 lead became 4-0 in the fourth when Emily Greene belted a two-run homer and Nunez again scored after singling then moving around via an error and two wild pitches.

Never one to give up, ART U responded in the bottom of the fourth with a run via a Vulcan miscue this time. Stover, who had singled to lead off, managed to get all the way to home plate on a poor throw across the diamond to third base. The bottom of the sixth was somewhat similar as junior Elyse Cordova singled, was sacrificed to second, and then later scored on an error at first. Unfortunately for the Knights, this is as close as they would get and Hilo prevailed 4-2.

Dauer, to her credit, was solid defensively. She finished with a complete 7.0 innings pitched and just two earned runs allowed on seven hits with seven strikeouts.

The teams combined for just four hits through the first three innings of game two as sophomore Haily MacDonald dueled it out with Nelson. In the fourth, however, the Vulcans got two runs off the ART U starter with one a RBI double and the other on a fielding error. After three more in the fifth and Dauer in to relieve, Hilo headed to the bottom of the inning up 5-0.

What came next was Academy of Art's biggest inning of the day. Sophomore Kamyle Glover started things off with a triple then red-shirt sophomore Jasmine Dickenson singled her home. Later in the inning, Dickenson and freshman Jessica Marin both scored on a throwing error by Hilo, but the Knights highlights were far from finished. Cordova launched her first triple of the year to left center which brought in MacDonald and then Cordova scored on Stover's single.

ART U could not savor the 5-5 score for long though. UH Hilo went back ahead on a pair of hits at the start of the sixth then added two insurance runs in the seventh on a play involving an error in left. ART U brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh after a double by sophomore Taylor Thurman, but it was not to be for the Knights today as the Vulcans went on to win 8-5.

For Academy of Art, now 4-9 overall and 2-2 in PacWest play, seven of nine ART U batters had a hit in game two with Stover having arguably the best day with a pair of hits in each game. MacDonald went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored in that contest.

UH Hilo (9-7 overall, 2-2 in PacWest action) had big days from Greene and Nunez in game one (they combined to go 4-for-6 with a home run, a double, two RBIs and three runs scored) then Kristina Victa and Greene again in game two (the pair was 6-for-8 with two RBIs and five runs scored in that one). The winner of both games was Salinas who went a total of 9.2 innings with two runs allowed on seven hits and had three strikeouts. 

“We definitely have what it takes to compete and win in the PacWest,” Coach Ward said. “We have to believe that every pitch and, if we do, we will great things in the conference.”

Academy of Art heads back out on the road and will be in Southern California this coming weekend for doubleheaders against Azusa Pacific (Feb. 22) and California Baptist (Feb. 23) to continue PacWest play.