HAYWARD, Calif. – Battling not only Cal State East Bay but rainy conditions as well, Academy of Art softball spent Wednesday coming back against a big third inning for the Pioneers in the first game then starting a rally just as game two had to be halted due to wetter weather. A two-run homer by senior outfielder Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki gave ART U its offense in a 9-2 loss before her solo shot had helped shorten the CSUEB lead to 5-2 by the sixth inning of game two at Pioneer Field.

GAME 1 – CSUEB 9, ART U 2
Working around an error in the first inning, freshman pitcher Alyssa Fullmer (2-1) kept the game scoreless through the first two frames before Cal State East Bay spent the third swinging for seven runs on five hits including three home runs.

Back-to-back singles by Grayhorse-Pupecki and sophomore infielder Audrey Allen began the fourth, but the bases were left loaded and it was not until the fifth that the Urban Knights reached the scoreboard. There, a one-out single by freshman outfielder Lida Wos set up fifth homer in the career of Grayhorse-Pupecki and her first of the season to make it 7-2.

The Pioneers would add one more run in the sixth and a quiet final frame for ART U resulted in the 9-2 final.

GAME 2 – CSUEB 5, ART U 2 (Halted - Weather)
A brief delay due to rainfall caused what would have been the day's second contest to start closer to 3 p.m., but the teams were still able to play five complete innings before weather ended the afternoon.

Cal State East Bay struck first with two runs in the second, but that margin was halved by a solo shot to right from Grayhorse-Pupecki in the third. A sacrifice fly and a two-run double over the next two frames for the Pioneers had them in front 5-1, but the Knights were then busy putting two runners into scoring position for junior catcher/infielder Liberty Herrera in the sixth. She singled home one before the game had to be halted at 5-2 with one out in the top of the sixth due to persistent rain.

Now officially 3-4 overall, but with two games still to finish, Academy of Art looked to Grayhorse-Pupecki for the Knights' top performance as she ended the opening contest 2-for-3 with a homer, two runs batted in, and a run scored. Wos added a run scored in her 1-for-3 effort, senior outfielder Maddie Sticka's double came as part of a 1-for-2 day, and Allen pushed her team-best hit streak to seven games while senior infielder Katie Humphreys made it seven straight reaching base.

Improving to 3-1 on the year, Cal State East Bay had its biggest day from Ashlee Toy (2-0) who allowed just two runs on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts as a pitcher and delivered a three-run homer as a hitter.

ART U gets set to host Simon Fraser this Friday, Feb. 16 in a noon doubleheader now back at Pioneer Field in Hayward.