TURLOCK, Calif. – Academy of Art softball broke through for not one, but two victories on its second day in the Tournament of Champions. The Urban Knights started Saturday's action by shutting out Cal State East Bay 5-0 behind a stellar performance from sophomore pitcher
Cecilia Lopez (3-3) and multiple run-scoring hits by freshman outfielder
Bethany Mitchell. Game two pit ART U against Concordia (Ore.) and, after junior pitcher
Hannah Rose Balke (3-6) surrendered just one hit over a complete 8.0 innings, sophomore catcher
Lauryn Henderson delivered a walk off hit for a 3-2 triumph in the bottom of the eighth inning.
GAME 1 – ART U 5, CSUEB 0
Following a scoreless first frame, Academy of Art led off the second with a single from senior infielder
Brenna Youngquist then later followed with a two-out triple off the bat of Mitchell down the right field line. Lopez, armed with a 1-0 lead, retired the first six batters she faced and soon found herself with more run support in the fourth.
Freshman utility
Nikki West sent a double into left and the ART U two-out conga line started shortly thereafter. Four consecutive singles from Mitchell, sophomore catcher
Alyssa Brundage, junior infielder
Gracie Sotomayor, and junior outfielder
Gabi Hirsch built up a 4-0 advantage, forcing the Pioneers to go to the bullpen in the process.
"Our offense is really figuring it out, stringing together hits and plays that are allowing us to be successful," said head coach
Alex Gomez. "Bethany has found herself and has been performing for us every time she steps in the box. Her consistency at the plate is becoming a fire that gets everyone else going."
The fifth inning began in dramatic fashion as Henderson crushed the first pitch she saw over the left field fence for her team-leading fourth home run of the season. Lopez would provide the shutdown inning in the fifth, striking out the final two batters of the frame before going on to get out of jams in the sixth and seventh innings to secure the 5-0 victory.
"Cece came out today and owned that field," said Gomez. "She knew that her presence on the mound was what our defense needed to feel in order to be successful and they really backed her up today making some great plays."
GAME 2 – ART U 3, CU 2 (8)
Although Concordia opened the contest with a walk and a run-scoring triple, the game would be tied 1-1 by the end of the second. West legged out a triple into center field to start the scoring opportunity and Brundage followed with a single to bring her in. The teams would mirror one another in the innings that followed as both sides were retired in order in the third and, after Mitchell doubled home West in the fourth, a 2-2 tie ensued after the Cavaliers hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth.
From that point, Balke retired 10 consecutive batters including a pair of strikeouts in the sixth, repeatedly giving her team chances to score that decisive run. A leadoff single by Henderson in the sixth eventually led her to reach third, but Concordia would get the out it needed, going on to send the game into extra innings.
Balke's stretch of retired Cavaliers came despite the threat of the international tie-breaker rule which began the eighth with a runner being placed a second base. Starting the bottom of the frame with their own runner in scoring position, Academy of Art had Henderson step to the plate with two outs and Sotomayor standing on third. One pitch into her at-bat, the Game Development major proceeded to break the tie with a single into an outfield gap, instantly giving her team a 3-2 win.
"I actually thought we started a little slow against Concordia, but Nikki's triple got everyone going," said Gomez. "Hannah really found her rhythm today, saw her pitches working, and really hung in there. Having Lauryn, who was also pumping her up from behind the plate, be the one to bring in that run was just icing on the cake."
Four games into this weekend's tournament, ART U now carries a 7-9 overall record. Henderson followed up her 5-for-5 first day with a 4-for-8 performance Saturday that included two runs batted in, a homer, and a run scored. Mitchell went 3-for-7 with three RBIs, a double, and a triple while West, her fellow freshman, finished 4-for-7 with a double, a triple, and three runs scored. In the circle, Lopez and Balke combined for just two runs allowed in 15.0 combined innings, striking out 10 in the process.
Coming off two one-run victories, Cal State East Bay dropped to 9-23 with the loss despite a 3-for-3 performance from Desiree Jimmy.
The loss returned Concordia (Ore.) to .500 at 15-15 on the season and the Cavaliers' lone hit in the contest was the triple in the first inning.
Academy of Art finishes off the Tournament of Champions and its stretch of six games in four days with Montana State Billings tomorrow back at Pedretti Park (Field 3) starting at 11:30 a.m.
"Our mentality is one game at a time," said Gomez. "We are building momentum and that's what we really wanted to see after this weekend of games. We want the team to continue to get better and for everyone to peak at the right time. The team is focused on Montana State Billings, because they know what kind of performance they are going to need to maintain in order to continue to be successful."
