Games #41 & 42
ART U Urban Knights (19-21, 11-11 PWC) vs. Holy Names Hawks (4-29, 2-18 PWC)
Sunday, April 9, 2017 at Noon & 2 p.m.
Hayward, Calif. – CSUEB Pioneer Field
Live Stats

ART U TO PLAY FIRST TWO OF ROAD-HOME SERIES WITH HAWKS
After surpassing its 2016 win total with a sweep of Chaminade earlier this week, Academy of Art University softball closes the week with a trip across the bay to face Holy Names. The Urban Knights are currently sixth in the Pacific West Conference standings and look to carry the momentum of three consecutive PacWest wins into this weekend.

FIRST PITCH
The Knights and Hawks will face off in a noon doubleheader out at Cal State East Bay's Pioneer Field this Sunday, Apr. 9. HNU will serve as the home team. Live coverage will be available via the links above. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights on Twitter & Instagram and "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHT WATCH
Tied with No. 20 California Baptist for the second-highest batting average in the PacWest, Academy of Art is collectively hitting .314 with 61 doubles (just two behind No. 24 Dixie State). The total doubles are already third in ART U's single-season history as they pursue the record (84) set in head coach Sonja Garnett's first season (2015). The Urban Knights are led by now six hitters batting over .300 (based on minimum 40 at-bats) – freshman infielder Freddie Carrillo (.394), senior outfielder Jessica West (.375), sophomore infielder Brenna Youngquist (.340), sophomore outfielder Juliana Lopez (.333), freshman infielder Gracie Sotomayor (.328), and freshman utility Dominique Seva'aetasi (.301). Carrillo and West are both among the PacWest's top 10 in batting average and it is West who paces Academy of Art with 13 doubles (second in conference), 20 runs batted in (20th in conference), and 14 steals (seventh in conference). West needs five more doubles to break the program's career record.

West's 26th walk of the year (third in PacWest) in the series with Chaminade made her the new ART U career walks leader with 67 in her four years. Power has come from Youngquist recently as she has three homers in her last 12 games, Lopez has a 13-game streak of having reached base, and the team's hottest bat has been that of Seva'aetasi who has a hit in each of her last six trips to the plate including two doubles and two triples. Freshman outfielder Gabi Hirsch finds herself only a few points off a .300 batting average, hitting .293 with two doubles and three RBIs in her last four games.

A winner in three of her last four starts, freshman pitcher Hannah Rose Balke (16-7) is currently the PacWest leader in victories (16), innings pitched (145.0), and complete games (13). Her 102 strikeouts rank third in the conference and her 3.04 earned run average has her 15th overall. Opponents are hitting just .222 against her (on pace for second in program single-season history), her three shutouts have her tied for third in ART U history, and she needs just five more wins to surpass Brenna Mitchell for the single-season program record.

HAWK TALK
After starting the year 0-8, Holy Names' first win came against BYU-Hawaii, but a 13-game losing streak ensued thereafter. The Hawks' lone win in their past eight games was a 7-6 victory over Western Washington at the Tournament of Champions. Recent PacWest Freshman of the Week Dye Dyemond leads HNU offensively with a .361 batting average plus three homers while Danielle Santoro holds the team-lead with 12 RBIs. Courtney Tarbat (1-5) owns the Hawks' lowest ERA (7.54). In 21 previous meetings, ART U has prevailed 14 times over the Hawks.

ACADEMY OF ART DOMINATES SWORDS IN SWEEP
Academy of Art University softball delivered a historic day at the plate on Apr. 4 out at Mission Blue Field. After tying the second-most hits in ART U's single-game history with 19 en route to a 10-4 win in the opener, the Urban Knights started game two by scoring eight in the first inning and rolled to a 15-4 victory that set a new program single-game record for runs scored. Seva'aetasi highlighted the doubleheader by going 6-for-6 with seven runs batted in.

LOOKING AHEAD
Just under a week after playing Holy Names in the East Bay, Academy of Art rematches the Hawks on Saturday, Apr. 15 at Mission Blue Field in what will be a noon Senior Day doubleheader.