Box Score #1
Box Score #2
Brisbane, CA – For the second consecutive game and Mission Blue Field, freshman infielder
Taylor Thurman delivered a late two-run blast to propel the Academy of Art University softball team to victory. She worked in tandem with senior outfielder
Ashley Lokey on this occasion to take the Urban Knights from down 1-0 to 3-1 winners over Dixie State in the bottom of the seventh inning of game one. The Red Storm responded by scoring early and rallying late to take the second contest 8-5. Lokey and Thurman combined to go 3-for-5 with two home runs and three runs batted in through the series opener while Lokey homered and drove in three during game two.
“Honestly, I'm not a big fan of home runs, but I am a big fan of wins so any way we can get them I'm happy,” head coach Rachel Sherman said. “Lokey is very talented and I know she will get on at least one time a game. I'm happy that was her one for the game. And Taylor coming through again is clutch! She will be able to build off these last two times and be confident whenever the game is on the line.”
Another big reason ART U prevailed in game one was junior starting pitcher
Kimberly Dauer (4-6). The righty retired the first three batters she faced in the contest and was rolling early. As the game settled into a pitchers' duel, Dauer kept up her end by opening with six scoreless innings pitched and at one point shut down six consecutive Red Storm batters. Only two DSC hitters made it into scoring position during that starting span.
“Kim is throwing great and really in a rhythm,” Coach Sherman said. “She is able to mix everything and keep batters off balance. I'm very proud of her.”
Dauer's counterpart, Mattie Snow (3-3), threw four strong innings to start it off, but in the fifth, she was really tested by the Urban Knights. Following a leadoff double by junior catcher
Jayme Stewart and later an error which allowed junior
Julie Martin to reach base, Lokey stepped to the plate and earned a four-pitch walk to load the bases. Though ART U would not push across any runs, the Knights packed the bases once again in the sixth. Singles by senior infielder
Genna Allen and Martin came after Hanchey had already been aboard, but again Dixie escaped unscathed.
In the start of the seventh, the Red Storm then took a 1-0 lead on a solo homer by Courtney Sherwin, but that ended up being not the only long ball hit in the inning. With one out in the bottom of the seventh, Lokey initiated an inspiring ART U comeback with her own solo home run to center and then, after sophomore infielder
Lauren Stover reached on an error, Thurman came to bat in a familiar situation. The freshman had knocked a two-run shot out of the park to win it against Grand Canyon last weekend and she did not disappoint with her encore Saturday. As the dust settled, Academy of Art had started off the series with a 3-1 victory after the blasts by Lokey and Thurman.
“Our energy was great all day and I don't feel like we ever give up so today's seventh inning was no different,” Coach Sherman said.
Dixie State did not waste any time getting on the scoreboard in game two as the Red Storm plated four runs on four hits in the first. The teams would exchange a scoreless inning before ART U got one run back in the third thanks to a Lokey RBI double which brought Martin home. A 4-1 lead for DSC became 5-1 in the fourth on the Red Storm's own RBI double, but that was little in comparison to what would happen in the fifth.
Stewart started the inning off with a walk and later scored when sophomore outfielder
Elyse Cordova singled and the DSC pitcher threw the ball away in an attempt to make a play. As Lokey stepped to the plate with two outs and Cordova still at second, the Eugene, OR native would launch a 2-2 pitch over the left field fence to make the score now just 5-4 in favor of Dixie. However, the Red Storm came back with three runs in their half of the fifth and soon it was an 8-4 game.
The Urban Knights were set up for another rally in the sixth when walks to Thurman and Hanchey started it off. With the bases soon loaded, junior
Nicole Smith came in to pinch hit and was able to bring one home on a groundout, but the final out of the inning was then made and the Red Storm breathed another sigh of relief as they nearly saw their margin minimized by a single swing of the bat. DSC went on to win game two 8-5 wtih Michelle Duncan managing to shut the door and earned a save.
Academy of Art University (6-15 overall, 2-4 in PacWest play) was led once again by Lokey who combined to go 3-for-7 in the doubleheader with two home runs, a double, three RBIs, and a run scored. She now has a team-high five homers on the year and is also pacing the team with 50 total bases.
“Lokey is the spark to our lineup and is doing a great job of getting things going for us,” Coach Sherman said. “She is off to another great start and I hope she is getting the recognition she deserves.”
Thurman added a 2-for-2 game one which included her home run, two RBIs, a run scored, and a walk. Stewart had her third double of the year in game one, finishing 1-for-3, while Cordova would go 1-for-3 with a run scored in game two. For Stover, her hit streak was extended to 10 games, a program-best for the season, with a single in the opening contest and unfortunately came to an end in game two.
ART U's winning pitcher in game one was Dauer who earned her fourth victory of the year with an impressive complete game. She allowed just one run on six hits in 7.0 inning on the mound while striking out four and walking just one. The junior would return in game two, throwing 5.1 innings with just three earned runs allowed on five hits.
For Dixie State, who moves to 7-6 overall and to a 2-4 PacWest record identical to that of ART U, the offense came primarily from Sherwin in game one (1-for-3, HR, RBI, R) and then from Chavez in the second contest (2-for-3, 4 RBI). Game one's losing pitcher was Snow who threw a complete 6.1 innings while allowing three runs on seven hits and striking out seven. The game two victory was a combined effort by the winning pitcher, Lauren Folta (3-2), who allowed five runs in 5.0 innings pitched, and Duncan who picked up the save.
The Knights and Red Storm will return to Mission Blue Field tomorrow afternoon for a 12:00 PM first pitch to start off Youth Day. If you are an Academy of Art University student, be sure to sign up for the 1:00 PM Fan Bus here:
http://bit.ly/eC8mrO
