Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Hayward, CA – Coming in having won five of its last six games, the Academy of Art University softball team sustained a pair of tough two-run losses to Holy Names on Saturday afternoon at Larry Standley Field. The day began with early offense by HNU which carried the home team to a 6-4 win despite chances for the Knights. Game two was a pitchers' duel with sophomore Haily MacDonald (3-0) allowing just one hit through 5.0 innings though the Hawks again prevailed 3-1 thanks to a two-run rally in the sixth.

ART U would strike first to start the day, smacking three hits in the first inning highlighted by an RBI single for senior Andrea Hanchey. Redshirt freshman Jasmine Dickenson added a double to set up the potential for more, but it was not to be.

Seven Hawks hits over the next two innings produced a 5-0 lead for Holy Names, but the Urban Knights refused to be phased by the strong start for their opponent. In the fourth, ART U had MacDonald up with the bases loaded and she delivered an RBI single to make it 5-2. A pair of runners were stranded, however, as HNU got the final out at home plate during that same play.

The Academy of Art offense tirelessly pushed forth and four hits got the Knights two more runs in the fifth. Dickenson's second double of the game drove in junior Elyse Cordova then sophomore Taylor Thurman plated one more on her RBI single. Though senior Kimberly Dauer (4-6) kept the Hawks off the scoreboard the rest of the way, the damage had been done and a 6-4 win for Holy Names was the result.

With the teams combining for just two hits through the first three innings of game two, one could find MacDonald going toe-to-toe with HNU's Nicole Ochoa (4-8). Unfortunately for MacDonald, a pair of errors gave Holy Names a run in the first, but she responded by retiring five in a row after that sequence.

Academy of Art put both junior Lauren Stover and Hanchey on in the fourth via singles, but Ochoa relied on her defense to get her out of the jam. ART U finally broke through in the fifth when freshman Jessica Marin singled, MacDonald singled, and Cordova then drove on in on a single of her own. In a theme of the day, the Knights could have had more, but two outs ensued.

Now tied 1-1, the game was up for grabs heading into the final frames. Freshman Shelby Gill (0-4) was swapped in to relieve MacDonald in the sixth and that's when HNU made its move. A two-run single by Deni Yandell broke the deadlock and after Ochoa finished off the seventh, game two belonged to Holy Names 3-1.

The Urban Knights move to 9-12 overall and 7-4 in PacWest play, but still had solid offensive performances Saturday after combining for 19 hits on the day. Thurman was 3-for-3 in game one and added another hit in the second contest, finishing with an RBI and run scored as well. Dickenson offered a 2-for-4 opener with both hits doubles. Cordova was 3-for-6 Saturday, scoring twice, notching a double, and an RBI.

For the Hawks, now 7-23 overall and 4-4 in conference play, Jordynn Elwood had a standout game one (3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, R) and Yandell led the way in game two (1-for-3, 2 RBI). Ochoa highlighted the Hawks' day in the circle with her one run allowed on seven hits in 7.0 innings pitched.

ART U heads out-of-state this weekend and will face Dixie State in a four-game series spanning Mar. 18-19 in St. George, UT.