CSUMB Wins In Extras Before Darkness Halts Lead Over SSU

CSUMB Wins In Extras Before Darkness Halts Lead Over SSU

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SANTA ROSA, Calif. – A lengthy day of action for Academy of Art softball nearly ended on a victorious note, but after narrowly falling to Cal State Monterey Bay 4-3 in extra innings, the Urban Knights held a 9-7 lead versus Sonoma State only to have darkness force the game to be halted at Marv Mayes Softball Field at Santa Rosa Junior College as part of the North Bay Challenge.

GAME 1 – CSUMB 4, ART U 3 (9)
Two strikeouts for freshman pitcher Kayla Vaughan (1-1) in the first inning became three in a row into the second before the Otters quickly put together a scoring rally capped by a three-run homer from Nani Areola.

Though hits by senior infielder Katie Humphreys and sophomore infielder/catcher Olivia Glover eventually gave the Knights two runners in scoring position in their half of the second, it was not until the third inning that Academy of Art answered back. The third double of the season for sophomore infielder Audrey Allen put another pair on second and third before senior infielder Haley Randall brought one in on a groundout and Humphreys plated another on a single off the pitcher.

Now back just 3-2, ART U had senior outfielder Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki start the home half of the fifth with the 12th triple of her career before Allen delivered her teammate with a game-tying sacrifice fly.

Meanwhile, Vaughan retired eight straight across the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings then ended the threat in the eighth, striking out the final batter with a runner on third. In the ninth, however, a bases-loaded groundout put CSUMB ahead 4-3 and that score would remain the rest of the way. Tossing the most by an Urban Knight pitcher since 2021, Vaughan's 9.0 frames tied with two others for the third-highest number of innings pitched in ART U history. She allowed just three earned runs on five hits with four walks and seven strikeouts.

GAME 2 – ART U 9, SSU 7 (Halted - Darkness)
Chasing daylight in its final scheduled game of the North Bay Challenge, Academy of Art initially loaded the bases in the first inning to set up its first run on a walk by Glover, but Sonoma State countered with a double steal to knot the contest in the home half of the first.

A quiet second inning was followed by bases loaded of Knights once again in third and this time junior catcher/infielder Liberty Herrera broke through on a three-run double before sophomore utility Marissa "Roo" Menard's run-scoring single made it a 5-1 ballgame.

SSU once again responded moments later as a three-run homer by Giana Hays brought the Seawolves to within one at 5-4 only briefly because Humphreys first walked with the bases loaded to extend the margin to 6-4 in the fourth. Still in the inning, Herrera struck again with a two-run double, giving her five driven in on the day, the second-most runs batted in by a Knight in program history.

Continuing the trend, Sonoma State again shortened the gap to a single score, 8-7, on three consecutive run-plating hits in the bottom of the fourth. After a walk by pinch-hitting junior infielder/pitcher Morgan Shults turned into freshman outfielder Lida Wos stealing second and advancing on a passed ball, Wos came around to score on a Grayhorse-Pupecki groundout to make it 9-7. With freshman pitcher Talyn Fordham (0-0) giving way from her first collegiate start to sophomore pitcher Kamielle Powell (0-1) in the fourth, Powell retook the circle for the bottom of the fifth, but an umpire conference determined that the game would be halted there due to darkness.

The day ended with ART U's record officially at 3-3 overall. In the only completed game of the day, two hits apiece came from Grayhorse-Pupecki, Allen, Humphreys, and Glover with Allen and Humphreys each driving in one run each. Allen had a double while Grayhorse Pupecki added two runs scored and a triple.

Cal State Monterey Bay 3-5 Areola finished 1-for-2 with the home run and three RBIs while Mackenzie Willis (1-3) picked up the win, surrendering just one run on five hits with no walks while striking out 13 in 6.1 relief innings.

Sonoma State, who defeated Menlo 10-2 earlier on Sunday, remains 3-4 overall after Hays' 2-for-2, four-RBI, one-homer, and one-double effort to the halted point leading the way.

The Urban Knights challenge more CCAA opponents this Wednesday, Feb. 14 with a doubleheader at Cal State East Bay starting at noon.