Games #6 & 7
ART U Urban Knights (2-3) vs. Stanislaus State Warriors (8-13)
Friday, March 8, 2019 at 2 p.m. & 4:30 p.m.
Turlock, Calif. – Warrior Softball Field
Live Stats | Live Video

Games #8 & 9 *CANCELED*
ART U Urban Knights (2-3, 2-0 PWC) vs. No. 3 Concordia Eagles (13-1, 4-0 PWC)
Sunday, March 10, 2019 at Noon & 2 p.m.
Brisbane, Calif. – Mission Blue Field
Live Stats

Games #10 & 11
ART U Urban Knights (2-3, 2-0 PWC) vs. No. 3 Concordia Eagles (13-1, 4-0 PWC)
Monday, March 11, 2019 at 10 a.m. & Noon
Brisbane, Calif. – Mission Blue Field
Live Stats

ACADEMY OF ART TRAVELS TO TURLOCK, LOOKS TO PLAY FIRST HOME GAMES
Despite repeated attempts, Academy of Art softball has not had a chance to play for nearly two weeks due to inclement weather sweeping through the Bay Area. The Urban Knights are now set to play two road games at Stanislaus State that were moved up on the schedule then ART U will try for its first home series of the year, hosting No. 3 Concordia in a return to Pacific West Conference play.

FIRST PITCH
A projected stretch of six games in four days begins with a doubleheader in Turlock at Stanislaus State's Warrior Softball Field on Friday, Mar. 8 starting at 2 p.m. After a day off from competition, the Urban Knights welcome No. 3 Concordia to Mission Blue Field for a noon twinbill on Sunday, Mar. 10. *UPDATE: The first two games in the CUI series were canceled due to inclement weather.* A 10 a.m. doubleheader follows on Monday, Mar. 11. Live coverage will be available via the links above. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHT WATCH
Ranking fourth in the PacWest in batting average (.298) after hitting a season-best .433 in its most recent win over NDNU, Academy of Art now tied for fourth in the conference in on-base percentage (.386). The PacWest leader in batting average, senior infielder Brenna Youngquist has been a force offensively thus far, hitting .563 (9-for-16) on a current five-game hit streak with team-bests of seven runs batted in and two doubles. She now needs 33 RBIs to reach the program's career leader Taylor Thurman (137) and has moved into a tie for sixth in career doubles (28), just 14 back of the career leader Lauren Stover (42). After breaking the program's single-season walks record last year, Youngquist (63) needs 10 more to become the career leader. Unleashing impressive power with a home run in each of ART U's victories over the Argonauts, sophomore catcher Lauryn Henderson is the PacWest leader in slugging percentage (1.000). She ranks third on the team with a .400 batting average back of junior infielder Gracie Sotomayor's .474 clip (seventh in PacWest).

Junior pitcher Hannah Rose Balke (1-2) started conference play with her fifth career shutout, allowing just four hits in 7.0 innings with five strikeouts. Her 4.53 earned run average is second on the team behind freshman pitcher Haley Arnold-Jolley's 0.00 ERA which came after two scoreless relief innings and just one hit allowed in her collegiate debut.

WEEKDAY WARRIORS
A familiar foe despite this abbreviated season for ART U, Stanislaus State defeated the Urban Knights 11-3 in both teams' Feb. 1 season-opener as part of the Desert Stinger Tournament in Las Vegas. Since then, the Warriors defeated Holy Names and Notre Dame de Namur in single games, but otherwise were swept by Cal State Monterey Bay and No. 17 UC San Diego, took one of four from Cal State Dominguez Hills, and swept Cal State East Bay. Offensively, Stanislaus State relies on Deja Guzman (.383) and Alexus Martinez (.354) to get on base for Aliyah Garvin (10 RBIs) and May Toshiura (13 RBIs) to drive them in. No Warriors pitcher has an ERA above 3.75 and it is Kyndra Marzorini (5-5) who leads the rotation with a 2.77 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 70.2 innings pitched. Over the course of 12 previous meetings, Stanislaus State holds a 9-3-1 all-time record versus Academy of Art.

EAGLES EVALUATION
Despite taking a 4-2 loss to Northwest Nazarene to start the season, No. 3 Concordia has lived up to the hype with 13 consecutive wins since then. The Eagles have shut out four opponents in that time, defeating Sonoma State, Western Washington, Concordia (Ore.), Adelphi, Biola, Azusa Pacific, and Cal State East Bay. CUI is slated to face Dominican in four games over Mar. 7-8 before meeting the Knights on Sunday. Leading the offense (PacWest-best .317 batting average) has been both Megan Massa (.409, eight RBIs, 10 runs scored) and Amanda Gjertsen (.400, PacWest-bests of 18 RBIs and eight doubles). Although last season's PacWest Pitcher and Freshman of the Year Callie Nunes (9-1) sports a 0.91 ERA thus far, she ranks second in the conference behind UH Hilo's Leah Gonzales. Always a difficult matchup, Nunes does lead the PacWest with four shutouts and 68 strikeouts over 54.0 innings pitched. A storied rivalry that saw four encounters last season (including two postseason pairings) has Concordia leading ART U 9-1 all-time.

ACADEMY OF ART SWEEPS NDNU TO BEGIN PACWEST CAMPAIGN
Out on the field for their first competitive action in three weeks, Academy of Art softball executed a two-game sweep of Notre Dame de Namur in both teams' start to Pacific West Conference play on Feb. 23. Sophomore catcher Lauryn Henderson highlighted the day with homers in both games as the Urban Knights topped NDNU 5-0 behind a masterful performance from junior pitcher Hannah Rose Balke (1-2) then rallied in four different innings en route to a 9-4 victory in the finale at Notre Dame High School.

LOOKING AHEAD
In what will have become a six-part homestand, Academy of Art will have its final home doubleheader of March come against Notre Dame de Namur Mission Blue Field on Mar. 16.