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Box Score 2 SAN LEANDRO, Calif. – Academy of Art University Softball used one big rally in each game to push past Holy Names in Pacific West Conference action out at Thrasher Park. The Urban Knights used a seven-run seventh in the opening contest and a six-run fifth in game two to go on to win 9-3 and 11-7 respectively. ART U's pitching staff persevered through illnesses and were helped immensely by a grand slam from junior
Elise Oldham and a three-run homer by grad student
Nirana Singh both as part of 24 hits on the day.
GAME ONEAcademy of Art started the day with a pair of hits, senior
Kamyle Glover's double and senior
Taylor Thurman's follow-up single, to gain a 1-0 advantage in the first inning of game one. Despite not feeling 100 percent, freshman
Brenna Mitchell (7-3) opened her eight start of the season by allowing just one hit through her first five innings of work. She posted four of her six strikeouts between the second and fourth innings, allowing one base runner during that span.
The Urban Knights put a runner on against Karolanne Tipton (1-7) in each of those innings and, in the fifth, ART U added to its lead with a déjà vu situation where Thurman drove in Glover on back-to-back singles. Mitchell exited a potentially game-tying situation in the fifth on a strikeout, but Lyveana Ilayan connected on a three-run homer in the sixth to drastically shift the momentum to Holy Names, putting them up 3-2.
With their backs against the wall in the seventh, Academy of Art wasted little time mounting their comeback. Sophomore
Jessica West started with a single and senior
Haily MacDonald added a one-out hit before Glover drove in West on a single to left center. With the bases loaded, Singh was hit by a pitch to bring in one and senior
Jasmine Dickenson delivered a sacrifice fly to put ART U ahead 4-3. However, the Knights did not stop there as freshman
Samantha Klune reached on a hard-hit ball to second base then Oldham's RBI single and West's two-run single finished off the seven-run push to go up 9-3.
The Academy of Art defense posted a zero in the seventh and Mitchell finished off her complete 7.0 innings with three runs allowed on just three hits and six strikeouts.
GAME TWOART U's offense was back to work in the first inning of the second contest with MacDonald, Glover, and Thurman setting the table for Dickenson who singled one home. Klune then reached on an error and the bases were reloaded for Oldham. After taking a ball, she crushed a grand slam to left and, just like that, Academy of Art led 5-0.
The Hawks put together their own rally in the first, capitalizing on three hits and an error to quickly shrink the Knights' advantage to two runs, 5-3. An inning later, Marissa Romero drove in two, effectively tying things up 5-5. Though ART U loaded the bases once again in the third, the visitors were unable to convert and called upon sophomore
Alexa Peters (3-4) in relief who retired six of the first seven batters she faced.
In the fifth, Academy of Art finally broke through with an error breaking the tie then Thurman doubling in two and Singh blasting a three-run homer to center for a total of six runs and an 11-5 lead. Peters and the ART U defense worked through two more frames, setting up a seventh inning that eventually saw the Hawks load the bases with one out. A walk and a sacrifice fly earned HNU a pair of runs, but the final popout was a diving play by Glover and the Knights finished off the sweep with an 11-7 victory.
For Academy of Art (10-7, 5-1 PacWest), a total of 24 hits in the twinbill were highlighted by Oldham's 3-for-8 day with five RBIs and the grand slam. Singh went 2-for-7 with four RBIs and her homer while Thurman had four RBIs and a double as part of a 4-for-8 doubleheader. West drove in two across her 4-for-8 day and Glover went 4-for-8 with a double and a RBI. All nine batters logged at least one hit in the second contest.
Holy Names falls to 2-15 overall, 1-7 in conference play with the losses. Ilayan led the way with a 3-for-6 performance that included five RBIs and the homer while Tipton pitched in both games, allowing four earned runs in 9.2 combined innings of work.
The Urban Knights are back into non-conference action this Monday, Mar. 9 when they travel to Arcata for a 12:00 p.m. doubleheader at No. 19 Humboldt State.
