HAYWARD, Calif. – Academy of Art softball combined to score six runs on 11 hits against No. 24 Concordia at Pioneer Field, but the Golden Eagles managed to come away with a pair of Pacific West Conference victories, taking the first game 15-2 before outlasting a late comeback by the Urban Knights in Tuesday's finale, winning 6-4.
GAME 1 – #24 CUI 15, ART U 2 (5)
Though both teams put a runner on in the first inning, it turned out to be scoreless before a clutch double play in the top of the second set the stage for a big moment for Academy of Art in the bottom half. Three pitches into her at-bat as the designated player, freshman pitcher
Kayla Vaughan (3-3) crushed a ball down the left field line for her first collegiate home run and a 1-0 advantage.
The Golden Eagles answered back by plating the tying run in the third, but ART U once again gained a one-score lead on a double by sophomore infielder
Audrey Allen that brought home freshman outfielder
Lida Wos after her bunt single and conference-leading ninth stolen base of the year.
Over the next two frames, Concordia responded with 14 runs (six unearned), turning the contest into an eventual 15-2 win after five innings.
GAME 2 – #24 CUI 6, ART U 4
A triple and sacrifice fly in the first inning of the day's second game was added onto by another run in the second as the Golden Eagles started up 2-0. Two scoreless frames ensued with Vaughan retiring seven of eight batters until three hits produced two more runs for the visitors.
Battling back against a 6-0 deficit in the late innings, Allen roped a two-out triple down the right field line before scoring on an error in the sixth. The seventh began with two Knights baserunners followed by bases-loaded situation moments later. Junior utility
Alexis Folks proceeded to deliver one run on an infield hit then senior outfielder
Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki quickly added on a two-run single to center, but the comeback ended on a subsequent groundout as CUI prevailed 6-4.
Now 7-8 overall and 3-3 against conference opponents, Academy of Art was led offensively by
Kayla Vaughan's 1-for-2 opening contest that included a home run as well as Grayhorse-Pupecki's 2-for-4 second game which came with two RBIs. Allen was the lone Urban Knight with hits in both games and both went for extra bases as she finished 2-for-6 with a double, a triple, and one run batted in.
The Golden Eagles improve to 13-4 overall and 6-0 in PacWest play after Audrey Robles ended the afternoon 3-for-7 with five RBIs plus two runs scored. Katlin Entrup (5-3) collected the win in the series opener with two runs allowed on four hits and two walks plus three strikeouts in 4.0 innings while Cortney Koelmans (6-1) tossed 5.0 shutout innings with three hits allowed and four strikeouts in the day's finale.
Both ART U and CUI will return to Pioneer Field tomorrow for another 1 p.m. doubleheader to finish the series.
