LAS VEGAS – Able to play after a day of rain canceled the first games in the Desert Stinger Tournament ever on Saturday, Academy of Art softball weathered cold winds, but could not overcome an early advantage for Cal State San Bernardino out at Majestic Park on Sunday afternoon. Though the Coyotes went up 6-0 after three innings, the Urban Knights fought back with a three-run fifth, but CSUSB went on to prevail 10-3 thereafter.

ART U base-runners touched third base in both the first and second innings, but the game remained scoreless until the bottom of the second. Singles by junior infielder Gracie Sotomayor and senior infielder Brenna Youngquist contributed to the setup in the first and, after being hit by a pitch in the third, junior infielder Celena New reached second following a walk and stole third before being stranded.

Cal State San Bernardino started the bottom of the second with a double and later scored on an error, but it was the bottom of the third that saw the biggest momentum shift. The Coyotes rallied for five runs in the inning, three of which came on Dominique Walker's double, but Academy of Art would break up CSUSB's shutout bid in the fifth, getting things started with walks by sophomore catcher Alyssa Brundage and freshman outfielder Nikki West. From there, a two-out single by Sotomayor loaded the bases for the first run on a walk worked by junior utility Dominique Seva'aetasi. Then it was Youngquist who struck again, singling home two more on her third hit of the contest.

Now a 6-3 margin for Cal State San Bernardino, the Coyotes pushed it to 8-3 in their half of the fifth then 10-3 with another rally in the sixth. Not giving in, Sotomayor and Seva'aetasi each connected for singles in the seventh, but the game would end on a play at the plate, giving CSUSB the victory.

Following its first tournament of the season, Academy of Art is 0-3, but has scored no fewer than three runs in each of its contests. Much of the offense came from the 2-4 hitters in the lineup with Sotomayor going 3-for-4 with a run scored, Seva'aetasi adding a run batted in as part of a 1-for-3 day, and Youngquist remaining the Knights' most productive hitter after her two RBIs as part of a 3-for-3 performance.

"As a whole, this tournament was a big mirror for us," said head coach Alex Gomez. "It helped us to really look at our identity as a team and what we have in our arsenal. There were great things in all of the games and one inning in each game that seemed to be the deciding factor so I'm looking forward to really building on our mental toughness."

Cal State San Bernardino, after going 3-0, finished as the champions of the 2019 Desert Stinger Tournament and was led by Walker's 4-for-4 day that included four RBIs.

In nearly three weeks, ART U returns to competition and will begin Pacific West Conference play on the road at Notre Dame de Namur. The Feb. 23 doubleheader is slated to begin at 11 a.m. in Belmont, Calif.

"The focus for the team in the next three weeks is to build some grit and really get into refining our skills," said Gomez. "Our pitchers are going to be working hard to build stamina and the mental aspect of the game and everyone at the plate needs to get hungry. The whole team is now looking to February 23rd as a day of reckoning and I can't wait."