BRISBANE, Calif. – After two pitchers' duels on Tuesday, the bats awoke on both sides Wednesday as Academy of Art softball and Hawaii Pacific combined to score 13 runs in the first game then 22 in the second, splitting the day's Pacific West Conference action. Tied going into the seventh, game one turned the Sharks' way on a five-run rally and ended 8-5, but the Urban Knights came right back to grab an early lead in the series finale. The contest shifted dramatically in the fourth when HPU plated six to go ahead before ART U added five in their half and the teams exchanged three-run surges in the sixth, eventually leading to a 12-10 final in favor of the home team. Leading the way, sophomore infielder
Cassandra Mittman finished the day 6-for-8 with a team-high five runs batted in.
GAME 1 – HPU 8, ART U 5
Following a scoreless first inning, Hawaii Pacific gained a 2-0 advantage on a double in the second, but Academy of Art responded by scoring on a single from senior outfielder
Gabi Hirsch in the bottom of the second. Starters
Hannah Rose Balke (4-10) and Malia Torres (9-5) each pitched out of some trouble in the third before HPU added one more unearned run in the fourth.
Down 3-1, a furious Knights comeback would ensue in the sixth as, all with two outs, the table was set for Hirsch who cleared the bases with a two-run single. Now knotted up 3-3, the game would be decided in the seventh when a grand slam helped propel the Sharks to an 8-3 margin. Academy of Art once again began a comeback with a two-run single from Mittman in the bottom half of the inning, but time ran out and HPU prevailed 8-5.
GAME 2 – ART U 12, HPU 10
Mittman started the second contest by turning a big double play to help get sophomore
Haley Arnold-Jolley (2-3) out of danger in the first inning then she turned around and drove in the second of two runs on singles in the bottom of the frame. The 2-0 lead was doubled in the third on back-to-back run-scoring singles by senior utility
Dominique Seva'aetasi and Mittman, but the Sharks then made a big push ahead with six runs in the fourth.
Trailing 6-4, the lead soon changed hands when freshman infielder
Gracie Boyd drove in the first run of her career on a sacrifice fly to spark what became a five-run rally in the fourth. The surge included a two-run double by junior catcher
Lauryn Henderson then run-scoring singles from Seva'aetasi and Mittman thereafter for a 9-6 ART U advantage.
Pushing the envelope once more in the sixth, Hawaii Pacific had two consecutive doubles drive in runs as part of a game-tying rally. However, the Urban Knights had the answer once more with one run on an error, another on a Seva'aetasi grounder, and then a 12-9 margin on junior infielder
Cecilia Lopez's groundout. Though HPU got one back and brought the potential winning run to the plate, Balke induced the final out for the 37th win of her career (now second in program history).
Through its second four-game PacWest series, Academy of Art is now 6-17 overall and 5-7 against conference opponents. Alongside Mittman's productive day, Henderson drove in four in the second game alone, finishing that one 2-for-4 with a double. Hirsch was 2-for-2 with two driven in to start then scored twice and stole the 54th base of her career in the second contest. Seva'aetasi went 3-for-8 with three RBIs and three runs scored in the doubleheader.
Ending the series with two wins and two losses, Hawaii Pacific's overall record moves to 14-13 while the Sharks remain an even 9-9 in conference play. With the grand slam in the first game, Mary Dungey finished the day 4-for-7 with five RBIs.
ART U will finish its current 12-game homestand with back-to-back noon doubleheaders hosting UH Hilo this Saturday and Sunday, Mar. 14-15.
