Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Brisbane, CA – Once again out at Mission Blue Field for non-conference action, Academy of Art University Softball was closer than the final scores Wednesday in a doubleheader that ended up going the way of Sonoma State. ART U put runners on in all but one inning of game one, but the Seawolves, who went as far as NCAA DII West Regionals last season, managed to keep them stranded and an early 4-0 lead eventually grew to 9-0 in the five-inning affair. Game two was tied 2-2 midway through before a two-run homer in the sixth put SSU over the top for a 5-2 victory.

It was a fortuitous start for Carlee Emerson (0-3) who hit the first batter of the game and quickly saw two runners in scoring position after a walk and two steals. Megan Konieczka doubled both in and, after she swiped third, came home on a single by Holli Brown. That 3-0 lead was added to in the second when a pair of errors resulted in an unearned run.

Through the first two innings, ART U had three of its hitters draw walks, but inning-ending strikeouts proved to quell the potential rallies. Emerson worked a three-up, three-down third and Elyse Cordova slammed a double to right center to lead off the bottom half, but she was kept there by SSU.

Though the fourth inning started with a single and Emerson soon found herself up against a runner on second with one away, the Knights defense (in the form of Cordova and Elise Oldham) had her back. When SSU's pinch runner attempted to come home on a single, Cordova fired the ball to home plate where Oldham applied the tag much like the finale in the recent victory SF State.

However, a wild pitch, two singles, and a triple forced Emerson from the game in that fourth and soon the Seawolves were up 7-0. A leadoff home run in the fifth started another rally and the end result was a shortened 9-0 win for the visitors.


In game two, SSU jumped out to another early lead with a Hayley Condon homer to start and Konieczka's RBI single later. That 2-0 lead was met with two quiet ART U innings, but some momentum began to shift in the third when Jill Johnson (1-2) pitched her way out of a two-on, one-out jam. That set up the bottom of the third where Jessica West started by singling down the left field line. Cordova followed by reaching on a throwing error which got both runners into scoring position. A wild pitch scored West and put Cordova at third to set up a nifty double steal which followed Haily MacDonald's walk.

"With Haily and Cordova's speed and aggressive mindset, they can exploit holes on the defense even off of a walk," co-head coach Randy Ward said. "They know who they are as runners and they are constantly looking to take an extra base if given the opportunity."

That touch of home plate by Cordova tied the game 2-2 and there it would remain through one scoreless inning. Impressive defense by West kept things from getting out of hand in the fourth as she snagged a fly ball and demonstrated her strong arm by nabbing a SSU runner attempting to tag up and go to third. A Konieczka two-run homer in the fifth proved to be the difference as Sonoma State later added one more in the sixth for a 5-2 lead.

ART U had chances in both the sixth and seventh with Oldham and Taylor Thurman starting the sixth on back-to-back singles then a one-out double by Cordova in the seventh. Unfortunately for the Knights, consecutive outs left three runners in scoring position over that span and the Seawolves earned the sweep.

For the Urban Knights (1-5), Cordova had a pair of doubles and scored one of two runs. Glover's double and 1-for-3 day kept her as holder of the team's most total bases (9) and best batting average (.417). West also stayed hot with her 1-for-3 game two that included a run scored. Emerson allowed six earned runs on eight hits with two strikeouts in 3.2 innings of the opener, but came back to throw a shutout inning in game two. Johnson surrendered four earned runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings pitched with five strikeouts.

Now 7-3, Sonoma State was led by a big day from Konieczka (5-for-6, HR, 6 RBIs, 2 R) and solid pitching by Amanda Llerena (4-2) in game one (4.0 IP, 0 ER, H, 5 K) and Melissa Smith (2-0) in the finale (4.0 IP, ER, 2 H, 2 K) along with Katy Bihl's three scoreless innings for her first save of the year.

"We started our season facing a World Series and a regional team from last season and, by the looks of it, they are on that path again," Coach Ward said. "We believe the lessons learned from playing these teams about giving up free bases will be adjusted against NDNU."

The start time to this Saturday's matchup with Notre Dame de Namur has been moved up to 12:00 PM at Notre Dame High School in Belmont, CA. After the start to PacWest play with that doubleheader, ART U returns to Mission Blue Field on Sunday for a 12:00 PM pairing with Central Washington.

"We will head into the conference focused on being scrappy and fighting until the end," Coach Ward said. "In the conference, anything can happen and we have to be ready to take advantage of the challenge ahead of us. We are a good 1-5 team and, if we can make the adjustments, we can change that record to be closer to our favor this weekend."