BRISBANE, Calif. – In two games that practically mirrored one another out at Mission Blue Field on Monday, Academy of Art University softball used two three-run fifth inning rallies to create the necessary separation for a pair of 5-1 victories over Northwest Nazarene. Both sides of the doubleheader featured stellar complete games in the pitcher's circle with freshman
Hannah Rose Balke (2-1) in the opener and sophomore
True Park (1-1) backing that up with a strong finale.
GAME 1
In the bottom of the first inning, ART U manufactured a run-scoring opportunity to perfection with freshman outfielder
Gabi Hirsch's bunt, freshman infielders
Gracie Sotomayor and
Freddie Carrillo's productive outs, then a resounding double by junior infielder
Samantha Klune.
That 1-0 lead gave way to a pitcher's duel over the next three innings as Balke retired 12 in a row including five by strikeout at one point. Though NNU's Brooke Bonsen (2-3) did her part by retiring 10 of 11, a big three-run rally awaited her in the fifth. After a leadoff triple by senior outfielder
Jessica West, fellow senior outfielder
Hallie Curtis bunted her home and, after two more singles, Sotomayor plated two on a single up the middle.
The Crusaders would get one in the sixth on a sacrifice fly, but that was countered by Klune's solo home run to lead off the Urban Knights' half of the inning. In the end, Balke would strike out the final two batters she faced to secure the 5-1 win for Academy of Art.
GAME 2
With Park in the circle for the second contest, a strikeout ended a jam in the first inning and a double play turned by Klune and sophomore infielder
Brenna Youngquist finished the second, but NNU's Rylee Thomas (0-1) things scoreless, retiring the first seven batters she faced.
In the third inning, Northwest Nazarene managed to score on a single that followed a double play, but Academy of Art answered back with Curtis' first career triple and redshirt freshman catcher
Adrianna Rupright's bunt single. The 1-1 game carried into the bottom of the fifth where ART U once again rallied, doing so on two errors plus four hits including another run-scoring single off the bat of Sotomayor.
When the dust had settled, the Knights led the Crusaders 4-1 and, following West's second triple of the day which scored a run in the sixth, Park completed the 5-1 complete game victory on a double play turned by Carrillo in the seventh.
Now 3-3 overall this season, ART U was led by a pair of 7.0 inning complete games from Balke and Park. Balke surrendered just one run on three hits and struck out a season-high eight batters. Park allowed one run on eight hits with two strikeouts. Klune was 2-for-3 with two runs batted, a double, and her first homer of the year while West went 2-for-6 with two triples on the day. Hirsch pushed her hit streak to five games and, after going 3-for-3 in the opener, is now hitting .563 on the season. Curtis and Rupright held down the bottom of the batting order, combing to go 5-for-8 with five runs scored, two RBIs, and Curtis' triple.
Northwest Nazarene falls to 2-7 on the year with Monday's results. After being limited to just two hits in 23 at-bats against Balke, NNU managed eight hits in game two, but Brittany Genuardi was the only Crusader with RBIs (two) on the day.
With its first three home series now complete, Academy of Art heads to Phoenix, Arizona for six games across three days (Feb. 17-19), featuring five different opponents including No. 4 West Texas A&M.
