Games #6 & 7
ART U Urban Knights (1-4) vs. Cal State East Bay Pioneers (1-8)
Tuesday, February 11, 2020 at Noon & 2 p.m.
Hayward, Calif. – Pioneer Softball Field
Live Stats | Live Video

Games #8 & 9
ART U Urban Knights (1-4) vs. SF State Gators (4-5)
Tuesday, February 18, 2020 at 11 a.m. & 1 p.m.
San Francisco – SFSU Softball Field
Live Stats | Live Video (Game 1 | Game 2)

ART U RESUMES SEASON AGAINST CSUEB, SFSU IN BAY AREA
Following a week-long span without games, Academy of Art softball returns to action this week on the road at Cal State East Bay then remains local for a matchup with SF State early next.

FIRST PITCH
On Tuesday, Feb. 11, ART U travels to Pioneer Softball Field in Hayward to face CSUEB in a noon doubleheader. The following week on Tuesday, Feb. 18, Academy of Art will be at SFSU Softball Field for an 11 a.m. start to its twinbill with the Gators. 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
Offensively among hitters with double-digit at-bats, there are four Urban Knights hitting .300 or higher led by senior infielder Gracie Sotomayor whose .462 average is good for fifth in the PacWest. She is followed by junior utility Cecilia Lopez at .357, junior catcher Lauryn Henderson at .308, and junior outfielder Jaime Batto at .300. Junior utility Alyssa Rasmussen's four runs scored pace the team and rank inside the conference's top eight. Sophomore outfielder Bethany Mitchell, who had the game-winning run batted in against Concordia (Ore.), is one of six Urban Knights with at least one RBI thus far.

In the pitcher's circle, Lopez (0-2) and senior Hannah Rose Balke (1-1) have tossed 15.0 innings apiece and both sport earned run averages under 4.00 to each sit inside the conference's top 10. Lopez leads the squad with a 3.27 ERA and just three walks (fewest in PacWest among pitchers with 13.0 or more innings) in her three starts. Balke enters the week with a 3.73 ERA plus 13 strikeouts (fourth in PacWest) through four appearances.

TO THE EAST
Through nine games in 2020, Cal State East Bay has logged a single win over Cal State San Bernardino in the Pioneers' first CCAA series. In Irvine for Concordia's Kickoff Classic, CSUEB faced four PacWest teams including Concordia (Calif.), ranked No. 10 at the time, and fell 19-4 in that contest with the Eagles. The team's top pitcher Abby Greer (1-3) tossed a three-hit shutout versus CSUSB and comes in with a 4.57 ERA while Sarah Fukushima leads the offense with a .500 batting average (11-for-22) with five doubles and one triple. Facing one another at least once every year since 2011, the all-time matchup with ART U favors the Pioneers 10-6.

CROSS-TOWN RIVALS
After going 2-3 at the Desert Stinger with convincing wins over Western Oregon and Regis, SF State remained just under .500 after splitting a four-game series with Stanislaus State to open CCAA play. The Gators are slated to face Sonoma State on Feb. 14 before hosting Academy of Art. At 3-1 with a 4.50 ERA through four starts, Emily Mitchell has been SFSU's top hurler while seven players are hitting over .300 led by Brylynn Vallejos' .393 batting average to go with a CCAA-leading 13 steals in 15 attempts. The Urban Knights have met the Gators 19 times previously and hold an 11-8 advantage.

LOOKING AHEAD
The first four-game series of Pacific West Conference play will take Academy of Art to La Mirada, Calif. on Feb. 21-22 to face Biola.