IRVINE, Calif. – Confidently walking into the nest of the No. 17 Concordia Eagles on Saturday, Academy of Art University Softball picked up its second win against a nationally-ranked team this season, splitting the doubleheader with a 3-1 victory in the finale. Responding to a 7-1 defeat in game one, the Urban Knights dramatically tied the second contest in the fourth on a leadoff homer by freshman infielder
Jayda Alaan then added later added two more on run-scoring singles by sophomore infielder
Gracie Sotomayor and freshman catcher
Lauryn Henderson. The offense supported another defensive gem from freshman pitcher
Brooke Larsen (10-2) as ART U prevailed 3-1 to conclude its Pacific West Conference tour of Southern California.
"This was a good week for us," said head coach
Sonja Garnett. "We always want to win, but to come away from the weekend .500, especially against Biola and Concordia, is something to be proud of. I am happy with how we competed and we just have to keep scoring runs."
GAME 1 – #17 CUI 7, ART U 1
Alaan started the game by breaking the program's single-season hit by pitch record and she would go on to be hit twice more in the contest. However, it was Concordia's Kalie Palazzolo who plated the first runs of the game on a two-run homer beyond the center field fence in the bottom of the first inning. She would strike again in the second with a two-run single as the Eagles built a 5-0 lead early on.
That started a stretch of three innings in which at least two Urban Knights would reach base, but they would not score. In the third, after Academy of Art loaded the bases on two walks and an Alaan single, instead it was CUI who came through with one more run on a single by Ashley Balestreri.
Despite getting two aboard in the fourth and fifth innings, ART U's chances were nullified on clutch strikeouts by PacWest Freshman of the Week Callie Nunes (8-1). The Eagles would tack on one more in the fifth score in bottom five and, though they threatened by loading the bases in the sixth, sophomore pitcher
Hannah Rose Balke (1-2) got out of it with a strikeout and a flyout.
Facing reliever Jordan Quinn in the seventh, Academy of Art scratched across one run on a run-scoring single by senior infielder
Samantha Klune, but one final groundout sealed the 7-1 victory for Concordia.
GAME 2 – ART U 3, #17 CUI 1
Like the first contest, game two saw the Eagles score first with Palazzolo's fifth run batted in of the day on a single in the opening inning. After Larsen got out of a bases-loaded jam in the second, the Knights proceeded to break up a no-hit bid by CUI starter Grayson Harvey (4-4) in dramatic fashion.
On the very first pitch of the fourth inning, Alaan blasted her second collegiate home run over the left field fence to tie the game. ART U proceeded to rally for more as the impact of that hit left Concordia reeling. Walks to Henderson and Larsen set up a run-scoring single for Sotomayor and by the inning's conclusion, Academy of Art led 2-1.
Larsen struck out two in a shutdown bottom of the fourth before another Knights scoring chance ensued. A leadoff single by sophomore outfielder
Gabi Hirsch plus Alaan's sacrifice bunt put her into scoring position. Then, a hit batter and wild pitch later, Henderson drove in Hirsch on an infield single and the scoreboard read 3-1 ART U.
One of the biggest defensive plays of the day followed in the bottom half of the inning when sophomore utility
Dominique Seva'aetasi, from left field, nabbed a runner attempting to take home on a single, ending the inning and keeping Academy of Art's two-run advantage intact. Larsen then retired the next five consecutive batters including two via the strikeout to start the seventh. Despite Concordia's last gasp comeback attempt with the potential winning run at the plate, Seva'aetasi fittingly retired the final out in a 3-1 victory.
"Our team never quits," said Garnett. "We had plenty of opportunities to score runs in game one, and [Concordia] just beat us. They key to game two was staying competitive, and each athlete doing their job. From Brooke, who threw an outstanding game, to our players on the bench being loud and ready to play every pitch. We played together and really rallied behind the momentum of Jayda's home run, and Dom's throw to the plate."
The day's split, ART U's third in three SoCal series, puts the Knights at 17-11 overall and 7-5 in the PacWest. With six productive trips to the plate in eight at-bats, Alaan finished the day 2-for-4 with a homer, one RBI, a run scored, and was hit by three pitches. After posting a .520 on-base percentage in SoCal, she passed the program's previous single-season record holder, Lexie Hernandez (15), and now approaches career record holder, Jasmine Dickenson (27).
"Jayda is a spark plug," said Garnett. "She is always competing and doing whatever she can for the team. She is a leader, an entertainer, and a very competitive athlete."
Facing a top-three offense in the PacWest, Larsen was effective once again, logging her conference-leading 11th complete game with one run allowed on five hits and four walks plus six strikeouts. She becomes the third PacWest pitcher to reach double-digit wins with 10 and the fastest Academy of Art pitcher ever to do so, besting Sierrah Garcia's
Mar. 21, 2010 record.
Concordia ends the week now 15-6 overall and 8-4 in conference play. Nunes picked up the win in the opener, tossing 5.0 shutout innings while allowing just one hit, walking four, and striking out 10. Offensively, Palazzolo was the standout for the Eagles, going 4-for-8 with five RBIs, a home run, and a stolen base.
Wrapping up a stretch of eight games in six days, Academy of Art will play host to Humboldt State on Monday, Mar. 19 back at Mission Blue Field beginning at 11 a.m.
"We need to just rest and recover for our games against Humboldt," said Garnett. "They are a very strong opponent and we need to start strong on Monday."
