Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Las Vegas, NV -- Academy of Art University Softball fought tooth and nail, emerging from Saturday with its first victory of the season at the 2013 Desert Stinger. The Urban Knights bounced back from a 6-1 defeat at the hands of the University of Mary earlier in the day by rallying with a six-run sixth inning to top Central Washington 8-7. A strong pitching performance from Kristin Valdivia earned win number one for an ART U pitcher.

"Anytime you get your first win of the year, you can begin to breathe a little easier," co-head coach Sami Strinz said. "We got the monkey off of our back. I was really pleased with our team's fight and our response to some adversity. What was really special is that we honestly experienced a true team win!"

After Academy of Art got ahead early with a run in the opening inning against the Wildcats, Central Washington came back to go up 4-1 after the second thanks in large part to a two-run home run from Maikala Galusha. In the third, however, junior Elyse Cordova helped ART U get one back by way of her single and later an RBI single from freshman Shelby Gill.

A 4-2 game became 6-2 over the two turns CWU had next. Valdivia entered the game in the fourth to relieve Shelby Gill and kept the game close from there with effective pitching including a strikeout to exit a jam in the fifth. She would end the contest with no earned runs allowed in 3.2 strong innings and a total of 5.0 scoreless innings in the circle over the two games.

"Kristin did a great job coming in relief in both games," Coach Strinz said. "Being a reliever is one of the most demanding and difficult roles that there are, and Kristin has risen to the challenge three times this season! She did a great job of going right at batters, challenging them, and keeping them off balance."

The Knights' sixth inning saw a huge momentum shift. Sophomore Taylor Thurman and freshman Elise Oldham began by each walking before senior Alyssa Hickey stepped in as a pinch hitter. She blasted a double down the right field line to score Thurman and then freshman Jessica Marin brought Oldham home on an RBI groundout.

Two Wildcat errors followed which allowed Hickey to score and set up both senior Julie Martin and sophomore Haily MacDonald to both reach base. A bases-loaded situation then arose for ART U after Cordova singled and then a ball hit by junior Lauren Stover was misplayed by the CWU right fielder causing all three runners to score.

"We were able to score six runs in the sixth because of our fight," Coach Strinz said. "We were present and focused on each pitch. The entire team was clearly on a mission. Fighting to win was our only option. Softball is a game of momentum and we turned it to our advantage by continuing to apply pressure."

Up 8-6 as a result of the rally, Academy of Art had to endure one last gasp from Central Washington in the seventh. The Wildcats loaded the bases themselves and a Cassi Ellis RBI single brought one home. However, two lineouts were induced and the Urban Knights celebrated their first win of the season, an 8-7 thriller.

The day itself began with a tough 6-1 result against the University of Mary. The Knights got ahead 1-0 in the first inning when MacDonald's speed eventually turned an error by the pitcher into a run. After reaching first base, she swiped second, went to third on a Cordova groundout, and then scored by way of Stover's RBI single.

That 1-0 ART U advantage held up for an inning, but U-Mary came back with a pair of unearned runs in the second. Demaree Rodriguez hit a two-run homer which came after an error that would have contributed to a three-up, three-down frame. Miscues became the theme as the teams combined for nine errors in the game and yet the plays seemed only to benefit the Marauders.

Two errors on U-Mary in the sixth provided a golden opportunity for the Knights, but they did not convert and the contest ended 6-1 with the Marauders on top. Indicative of the kind of game it was, starting pitcher Kimberly Dauer (0-3) finished with six runs allowed, however, only two of those were earned. She added a season-high six strikeouts in 4.2 innings pitched.

For the Urban Knights, now 1-5 overall, the top of the lineup reached base consistently and the heart of the order delivered. MacDonald scored three times Saturday while Cordova had hits in both games and finished with a 3-for-7 day that included two runs scored. Four different ART U players had an RBI in the second contest including Thurman, Shelby Gill (1-for-2), Hickey (1-for-2, 2B), and Marin (1-for-3).

ART U continues its five-game stretch at the 2013 Desert Stinger with matchups against Black Hills State (11:30 AM) and Western New Mexico (2:00 PM) tomorrow back at Majestic Park in Las Vegas.