HAYWARD, Calif. – An early start to Tuesday's Pacific West Conference doubleheader had both Academy of Art softball and Azusa Pacific locked in a scoreless series opener until the Urban Knights went ahead in the fourth inning before the Cougars answered back with five late for the 5-1 win. Thursday's second game saw ART U strike first yet again then go ahead 4-1 on a two-run homer by sophomore infielder Audrey Allen before the contest was halted in the fifth out at Chabot College.

GAME 1 – APU 5, ART U 1
Freshman pitcher Kayla Vaughan (3-4) left runners stranded in each of her first two frames to begin the day while APU's Katie Korstrom (6-1) retired all nine Knights in her first time through the batting order. The pitching duel turned in Academy of Art's favor in the fourth, however, when walks to junior utility Alexis Folks and Allen combined with senior infielder Katie Humphreys' conference-leading eighth time being hit by a pitch to load the bases. Junior catcher Liberty Herrera provided a sacrifice fly and ART U was in front 1-0.

The margin held until the sixth when the Cougars connected on five hits, scoring five runs in the process. The Knights had a comeback opportunity with two on in the sixth, but could not answer back and dropped a 5-1 decision.

GAME 2 – ART U 4, APU 1 (Halted)
Academy of Art was first on the scoreboard once again in the second contest as small ball turned a leadoff single by senior infielder Haley Randall into a run off senior infielder Elle Edeker's single thereafter. Three hits produced the tying run for Azusa Pacific in the third, but another leadoff single in the fourth became a run as Humphreys reached base before her pinch runner, freshman outfielder Bella Jimenez, came around on an error triggered by senior outfielder Maddie Sticka's steal of second base.

With freshman pitcher Alyssa Fullmer (3-2) and the ART U defense able to hold APU from scoring in the fifth, the inning's bottom half was highlighted by a two-run blast by Allen to right field that made it 4-1 Knights. Despite the more drastic momentum shift, the contest was ultimately halted due to Chabot's game following in the afternoon.

Academy of Art, now 7-11 overall (with three halted games thus far) and 3-6 in conference play, had Randall, Humphreys, and Sticka each record hits in the opening contest while Herrera added the run batted in. Meanwhile six different Knights have a hit thus far in the second contest including Allen's 1-for-2 effort with the two-run homer.

Azusa Pacific elevates to 9-6 on the year and 2-1 against PacWest opponents with the game one victory led by Alvarez and her 1-for-4 performance that saw her hit a two-run homer of her own. Both Ally Chin and Caitlin DeCanio were each 3-for-4 while Korstrom earned the win behind 10 strikeouts and one run allowed on three hits plus two walks in a complete 7.0 innings pitched.

The Urban Knights and Cougars will resume the second game of the series back at Chabot College tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. before concluding with a doubleheader slated for noon.