Games #14 & 15
ART U Urban Knights (4-9, 2-2 PWC) vs. Azusa Pacific Cougars (5-3, 0-0 PWC)
Friday, February 22, 2013 at 4:00 PM
Azusa, CA – Cougar Softball Field
Live Stats | Live Video

Games #16 & 17
ART U Urban Knights (4-9, 2-2 PWC) vs. California Baptist Lancers (4-3, 0-0 PWC)
Saturday, February 23, 2013 at 12:00 PM
Riverside, CA – Funk Stadium
Live Stats | Live Audio

ART U CONTINUES PACWEST PLAY IN SOCAL
After splitting its four-game series with UH Hilo to open Pacific West Conference action, Academy of Art University will now head to Southern California for another quartet. The Urban Knights start at new PacWest member Azusa Pacific in a doubleheader this Friday then clash with defending PacWest Champion California Baptist in a pair on Saturday.

FIRST PITCH
Starting off its SoCal roadtrip at Azusa Pacific's Cougar Softball Field on Friday, Feb. 22, Academy of Art is set to play a pair of games beginning at 4:00 PM. On Saturday, Feb. 23, the Urban Knights will challenge California Baptist out at the Lancers' Funk Stadium in a 12:00 PM doubleheader. Links to live coverage can be found above. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights on Twitter and "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHT WATCH
The three Urban Knights atop the batting order have coincidently also offered the highest batting averages. Sophomore Haily MacDonald leads ART U with a .364 average, 11 runs scored, and delivered the first two triples of her career in game two against UH Hilo. She is also riding an eight-game hit streak. Junior Lauren Stover, on a five-game hit streak of her own, is not far behind MacDonald with a .351 clip to go with a team-high three doubles as well as eight runs scored. Junior Elyse Cordova is hitting .310, has scored eight runs, and joins both MacDonald and Stover with five RBIs apiece.

With the recent release of cumulative PacWest statistics, senior Kimberly Dauer (2-5) is currently ranked fourth in the conference in strikeouts (30) and fifth in innings pitched (38.0). Among the team's regular starters, she sports the lowest ERA (2.39) through six starts. After five solid relief innings against UH Hilo, sophomore Kristin Valdivia (2-1) paces the team with a 1.72 ERA and nine strikeouts in 20.1 innings pitched.

COUGARS CLAMMORING FOR PACWEST DEBUT
Having won four of their last five games, it was the most recent stretch where Azusa Pacific has heated up. The Cougars started the year with a 1-0 loss to Claremont Mudd-Scripps then split with Cal State San Bernardino before heading out to the 2013 Desert Stinger. In Vegas, Azusa Pacific faced one of the same opponent as ART U, topping New Mexico Highlands 7-5 in addition to three more victories before a 11-6 loss to Minnesota Duluth in its final contest. Thus far, Brandi Andrews has stood out as the top offensive performer for the Cougars. She is hitting .346 with five extra-base hits including the team's lone home run and four RBIs. Defensively, the tandem of hurlers Taryn Devich (1-1) and Rita Kim (1-0) has combined for 24.2 innings pitched. Kim has struck out 23 batters in 14.0 innings and sports a 2.50 ERA while Devich's ERA is a team-best 2.21. Friday's contests will be the first home games of the season for Azusa as well as their program's first PacWest contests ever.

LANCERS LAUNCHING ONCE AGAIN
With a non-conference schedule similar to the Urban Knights, California Baptist, 2012 PacWest Champions, started the year splitting with Humboldt State in two very different scores (CBU won 10-5 and lost 14-3). The Lancers then opened the Desert Stinger with an 8-6 loss to Colorado School of Mines, but came back with three victories which each featured double-digit run totals by California Baptist. Finally, a 4-3 loss to St. Cloud State culminated the tournament, making CBU 4-3 on the year. Known as a home run-hitting team last year, the Lancers have continued that trend with the second-most homers (12) in the PacWest thus far. Mara Rodriguez is hitting .481 with a team-best 12 RBIs and two home runs while Rachel Meyer (.412) has five homers and nine RBIs. In the circle, Jessica Avila sports a team-low 6.75 ERA to go with 14 strikeouts in 18.2 innings pitched.

ART U SPLITS WITH HILO TO START PACWEST PLAY
In both its first PacWest games and first homestand of the 2013 season, Academy of Art took two from UH Hilo to start, but the Vulcans then evened the series with two of their own on day two.

Game one was a pitchers' duel featuring some of Dauer's best work and, though the Vulcans got ahead 1-0 briefly, ART U responded with a four-run sixth to win it 4-1. In the nightcap, a 3-3 tie carried into the ninth inning when finally a triple by MacDonald was followed up by a delayed double steal for the walk-off 4-3 victory.

Game three of the series 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 series finale 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.

LOOKING AHEAD
Following this roadtrip, Academy of Art University returns home to Mission Blue Field for a PacWest doubleheader against Dominican on Saturday, Mar. 2. First pitch of game one is set for 12:00 PM.