BRISBANE, Calif. – In action back at Mission Blue Field on Monday, Academy of Art softball had senior pitcher
Haley Arnold-Jolley (2-12) deliver her best performance of the season, not allowing an earned run in a season-high 7.0 innings pitched, while the Urban Knights' bats backed her with five runs on five hits to start the Pacific West Conference series versus UH Hilo 5-1 winners. The Vulcans would force a split, taking the day's second contest 5-3, but it was not without ART U nearly coming back after scoring twice in the final frame.
GAME 1 – ART U 5, HILO 1
Academy of Art was first on the scoreboard to begin the day as both senior outfielder
Bethany Mitchell and junior infielder
Haley Randall made loud contact, doubling and tripling, in their first trips to the plate. It was Mitchell's team-high eighth double of the season and Randall's second career triple before a groundout by senior catcher/utility
Cassandra Mittman made it 2-0.
Arnold-Jolley surrendered her one and only run of the game in the second as a leadoff hit followed by a two-out error cut Knights' margin to 2-1. The ART U starter proceeded to sit down the Vulcans in order in both the third and fourth innings then pitched around two hits in the fifth to start a stretch of seven consecutive batters retired to close the game.
Meanwhile, Academy of Art embraced an opportunity to add on in the sixth as walks to freshman infielder
Audrey Allen and freshman utility
Marissa "Roo" Menard sandwiched a pair of outs, setting up back-to-back run-scoring singles from junior utility
Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki and freshman catcher
Alexus Sorenson who was pinch hitting. Graduate student outfielder
Nina Vallejos soon put down a bunt which led to a throwing error, capping the ART U rally at three runs for the eventual 5-1 victory.
GAME 2 – HILO 5, ART U 3
After the teams combined for just one hit through two scoreless innings to start the second contest, it was UH Hilo who struck first with a pair of singles producing one run versus freshman pitcher
Kamielle Powell (4-10) in the third. Errors led to two more unearned runs in the fourth, but Academy of Art would counter with a sacrifice fly from Mittman in the fourth following a leadoff single and steal by Randall.
The Vulcans made it 4-1 with two hits in the fifth then 5-1 with another pair of swings in the seventh yet the bottom half of the inning would bring drama. Junior infielder
Katie Humphreys began with an infield single before Menard sent her own single down the right field line and Grayhorse-Pupecki ultimately plated a run on her single up the middle. A sacrifice fly from Vallejos brought the score to 5-3, but the Knights came no closer as the final out was made.
Academy of Art, now 6-24 overall and 3-11 in PacWest action, was led offensively by a 3-for-6 day from Randall that featured one run batted in, two runs scored, a stolen base, and a triple while Grayhorse-Pupecki drove in two and scored once as part of her 2-for-6 twin bill. Vallejos stole two bases in a 1-for-3 and Mitchell was 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored each in game one then Humphreys was 2-for-2 in the finale.
After allowing just one unearned run on three hits and two walks over 7.0 innings in the opening contest, Arnold-Jolley added 0.2 scoreless and hitless frames in the second game. Powell went 6.1 innings the day's finale, reaching that mark for the third straight start, with just two earned runs allowed on nine hits, no walks, and one strikeout.
UH Hilo moves to 10-17 on the season and 7-11 versus conference opponents with Lexie Tilton's 3-for-4 game two effort that included two RBIs, a double, and one run scored. After surrendering five runs on five hits with five walks and three strikeouts, Malia Risdall (2-7) was charged with the game one loss before Alexis Lacy (6-9) picked up the win to end the afternoon, allowing three runs on six hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
The Urban Knights and Vulcans were set to finish the series tomorrow, but have had to postpone the games due to inclement weather. A makeup date has yet to be set.
