BRISBANE, Calif. – Academy of Art University softball sent its two seniors, outfielder
Andrea Gill and catcher
Elise Oldham, with two hard-fought games against the No. 16 team in the country on Saturday at Mission Blue Field. Despite an early California Baptist lead in game one, ART U came within striking distance before late rallies gave the Lancers a 7-2 win. Then, the Urban Knights quickly went ahead in the second contest, withstood the CBU's rallies, and trailed by two in the late innings before falling 10-6. Among the highlights were Gill stealing a home run in center field and Oldham breaking the career record for runners caught stealing.
GAME ONE
Although Academy of Art got junior outfielder
Jessica West to third base on a single, steal, and groundout in the bottom of the first, it was California Baptist who scored the first runs of the game in the second. A London Miller homer opened a four-run rally in that frame, but ART U would soon respond by plating one in the third.
After West swiped her second base of the contest, freshman infielder
Juliana Lopez singled her in. A special moment came for Oldham in the top of the fourth when she threw out her 28th runner attempting to steal to gain sole possession of the career record. Oldham matched that defensive brilliance with one of the Knights' three singles in the bottom half of the inning, eventually scoring on an error.
Junior pitcher
Alexa Peters provided important relief work for the third, fourth, and fifth innings, keeping California Baptist scoreless in a 4-2 game. The Lancers would keep the pressure on with three runs in the final two frames and went on to win 7-2. Peters had her longest relief outing of the season, going 5.0 innings with just one earned run allowed and two strikeouts.
GAME TWO
Junior pitcher
Hunter Allen (2-9) retired the side on four pitches in the top of the first including a spectacular catch in centerfield that saw Gill dive into and over the wall to make a play. Academy of Art promptly scored the first run of the contest moments later. West led off with a double then came in on a dramatic suicide squeeze bunt single by sophomore infielder
Brenna Mitchell.
The lead did not last, however, because CBU used five hits to get four runs in the second, getting ahead 4-1. Another score in the third made it 5-1, but ART U answered that in the fourth when freshman infielder
Brenna Youngquist blasted a solo homer to left field. California Baptist mirrored the game one score of 7-2 with two more in the fifth yet another rebuttal came from Academy of Art.
A run-scoring triple by West got things started in the bottom of the fifth then Lopez added a sacrifice fly immediately thereafter. The three-run rally concluded with sophomore infielder
Samantha Klune driving in Mitchell (who had walked) and suddenly it was a 7-5 ballgame.
Both sides' sixth inning was quiet then three more runs came in on a hit and an error in the seventh, setting up the final chance for ART U in the bottom half. Another leadoff double by West set the table for a Mitchell run-scoring single and, though multiple runners were on, the game ended with California Baptist on top 10-6.
ART U is now 16-31-1 overall and 12-16 in PacWest play. Both West and Lopez remained hot with the former going 4-for-8 on the day with three runs scored and two doubles in game two and the latter driving in a run in each contest while finishing 2-for-6 in the pair of games. "The Brennas" were also a force in the second contest as Mitchell had two RBIs as part of her 2-for-3 performance and Youngquist hit her team-high seventh home run of the year.
The Lancers rise to 41-9 on the year (24-6 in conference) after Krista Mann had two RBIs in the opener where Ashley Coleman (18-3) went the distance, allowing one earned run on five hits with one strikeout. In game two, Soraya Shahbazian and Ali Subia combined to drive in three, each with doubles as part of combining to go 4-for-8 while Kayla Hatch (13-2) picked up the win despite allowing five runs on five hits in 4.2 innings pitched.
Although Saturday was Senior Day, Academy of Art still has two more game days on its 2016 schedule with a road doubleheader at Dominican on Apr. 30 followed by the rain-rescheduled twinbill hosting Holy Names on May 1.
