LAS VEGAS – Academy of Art softball's 2020 Opening Day saw the Urban Knights locked in a pair of games determined by three runs or less as part of the Desert Stinger Tournament on Friday. After initially trailing Cal State San Bernardino in the first matchup, a wild play that started on a bunt by senior infielder Gracie Sotomayor gave ART U three runs, but the Coyotes answered back in that same fourth inning and went on to win 6-3 despite the bases being loaded with Urban Knights at the end. Against tournament host Montana State Billings in a cold nightcap, junior pitcher Cecilia Lopez (0-1) dueled the Yellowjackets starter through five scoreless innings before runs were scraped across in the final two frames and MSUB prevailed 3-1, surviving another potentially game-tying situation for Academy of Art in the seventh.

GAME 1 – CSUSB 6, ART U 3
Though patient eyes and aggressive base-running resulted in three walks and two steals in the Knights' first inning of the season, Academy of Art did not score and it was instead Cal State San Bernardino that struck first. Two walks and a two-run single put the Coyotes ahead 2-0, but the offense would dissipate thereafter as senior pitcher Hannah Rose Balke (0-1) settled into a rhythm.

In the fourth, senior utility Dominique Seva'aetasi sent a leadoff single up the middle and Lopez followed with a double to right center, eventually setting up Sotomayor for the game's most unpredictable sequence. After surprising the defense with a squeeze bunt to score Seva'aetasi, a throwing attempt was made to get Sotomayor at second, but the ball sailed into the outfield and she came around to score on a three-run shift. ART U's one-run margin did not last long, however, because CSUSB rallied for four in their bottom half and promptly went back ahead 6-3.

Academy of Art got runners into scoring position in each of the next three innings, most notably loading the bases on two walks and a double by junior catcher Lauryn Henderson in the seventh. The Knights did not find a way to convert those opportunities and ended up falling 6-3 in the end.

GAME 2 – MSUB 3, ART U 1
Two hits came for Montana State Billings in the first inning, but Lopez would allow just three in the four innings that followed, sprinkling them throughout with no offensive rallies to speak of. To her credit, Julia Qualteri (1-0) matched her counterpart virtually every step of the way until the bottom of the fifth when junior outfielder Jamie Batto and Sotomayor each sent singles to left and sophomore outfielder Bethany Mitchell added a double down the left field line.

That rally did not produce a run, however, and an unfortunate swing then had the Yellowjackets score twice in the sixth on a double and single hit back-to-back. Freshman outfielder Emily Montes legged out a pinch-hit leadoff single for the first hit of her career in the sixth and an error plus multiple wild pitches allowed ART U to score, but that difference was quickly erased by a sacrifice fly from MSUB in the seventh. Bringing the potential tying run to the plate after a hit batter in the seventh, the Knights could not get the clutch hit they needed and wound up on the losing end of a 3-1 final.

For Academy of Art (0-2), Sotomayor was 2-for-4 on the day with one run batted in while Lopez offered two hits in six at-bats including her double. Balke's earned run average starts at 2.33 following her two earned runs allowed in 6.0 innings of work with six strikeouts. Lopez added a 3.00 ERA after surrendering just three runs in 7.0 innings pitched.

Starting its year 1-1, Cal State San Bernardino went on to lose a 6-5 game to Colorado Christian in Friday's final time block. The Coyotes had a pair of two-RBI performances from Jamiana Gateb and Haley Finn versus ART U while Kendra O'Cull picked up the rare save after starting the game as she preserved the relief win for Taylor De'Tinne (1-0).

Coming into their matchup with ART U off a 7-3 victory over Oklahoma Christian, Montana State Billings moved to 2-0 at the end of day one thanks in large part to Taylor Anderson's 2-for-3 and one RBI performance against Academy of Art while Qualteri did not allow an earned run in her 5.0 innings in the circle.

The Urban Knights will return to Majestic Park tomorrow for two more evening contests against Simon Fraser (Field 9 at 4:30 p.m.) and Saint Martin's (Field 7 at 7 p.m.).