Academy of Art Softball carried the momentum from its walkoff win the day prior into Saturday, defeating Simon Fraser 7-2 behind another double-digit hits effort. The Urban Knights then found themselves in a closely played contest against Montana State-Billings and, though they brought the winning run to the plate in the seventh inning, ART U ended up falling 3-1. Senior outfielder
was among the day's highlights, setting a new single-game program record with five stolen bases in the victory over SFU which saw the Knights also set a new steals record as a team (10).
"The seniors have been doing a great job leading the team this weekend," said head coach
Sonja Garnett. "They are keeping our focus and energy up."
GAME ONEAfter freshman
Brenna Mitchell (12-9) worked through the first three Simon Fraser batters to start, the Academy of Art offense gave her a 3-0 lead thanks to a run-scoring single by senior infielder
Taylor Thurman and a two-run single from freshman infielder
Samantha Klune in the bottom of the first. ART U would go on to put runners into scoring position in each of the game's seven innings though it was not until the fourth that they plated more.
Following a leadoff double by graduate student catcher
Nirana Singh, sophomore outfielder
Hallie Curtis offered a RBI single and MacDonald then scored after her third steal of the contest, coming in with junior outfielder
Andrea Gill on a two-run double by senior infielder
Kamyle Glover.
The Knights' 6-0 lead became 7-0 in the fifth when MacDonald hit an infield single after another leadoff double by Singh. Shortly thereafter, MacDonald swiped both second and third to earn the program's new single-game record.
"I am very proud of Haily," said Garnett. "She is a student of the game and it helps give her an advantage. As a team, we are playing loose and aggressive. It's just fun to watch."
Academy of Art nearly ended the game right there with the bases loaded and one run away from trigging the run-rule. However, SFU got out of the jam and proceeded to hit a two-run homer in the very next inning.
The scoreboard would remain at 7-2 the rest of the way as Mitchell finished off her 13th complete game (7.0 innings, 7 hits, two runs allowed, one walk, two strikeouts) and moved into third on the program's single-season wins list with 12 victories to date.
GAME TWOMontana State-Billings struck first to start its game with Academy of Art, getting an unearned run in on a RBI groundout. Amanda Roark (2-3) was particularly effective early on, retiring the first nine batters she faced.
The Yellow Jackets supported her with another run in the second on a RBI single by Bella Rovens. In the fourth, the Urban Knights not only got their first hit against Roark, but they went on to score their first run. MacDonald hit an infield single, reached third after two groundouts, then touched home plate once again thanks to a RBI single from junior catcher
Elise Oldham.
A quiet fifth inning was followed by a pair of hits and a sacrifice bunt for Montana State-Billings in the sixth, giving them a 3-1 advantage. Mitchell entered once again at that point and managed to get out of a bases-loaded jam with a strikeout and a popup.
Academy of Art had two prime comeback opportunities in the final two innings. In the sixth, two runners were put into scoring position but reliever Jessyka MacDonald entered then exited with a strikeout. ART U's final chance materialized on back-to-back singles by Klune and Singh in the seventh, but the Yellow Jackets managed to convert the final two outs and ended up winning 3-1.
The Knights are now 16-20 overall after going 2-3 thus far in the tournament. Glover was 3-for-3 with two RBIs, a double, and three steals in the first game while MacDonald went 1-for-2 with the record five steals and one RBI. Thurman was 1-for-2 in the contest with two thefts to help ART U to 10 steals, topping its previous record of seven. Klune had two RBIs in that game and Singh was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles. Oldham had a 2-for-3 with the team's lone RBI in game two.
Both sophomore
Alexa Peters (4-8) and Mitchell were effective in game two as Peters threw 5.1 innings with two earned runs allowed on five hits and Mitchell relieved her teammate with 1.2 scoreless innings.
Based on the breakdown of the pool play, Academy of Art enters the Tournament of Champions consolation bracket tomorrow. The Urban Knights will start the day against Chaminade at 11:00 a.m. out at the Turlock Regional Sports Complex. The winner will face the winner of UC San Diego and Western Oregon on the adjacent field.
