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Brisbane, CA – The Academy of Art University softball team was firing on all cylinders Monday afternoon at Mission Blue Field as the Urban Knights defeated BYU-Hawaii twice to earn their second sweep in three days. Senior Kimberly Dauer offered an unforgettable performance in the opener, tying her career-high with 10 strikeouts while throwing five no-hit innings to start. The ART U offense supported her from the outset and Academy of Art prevailed 6-2. Game number two saw the Seasiders get out to a 3-1 lead early, but a huge two-run home run by sophomore Taylor Thurman in the fifth helped propel the Knights to an 8-5 victory. Thurman went an incredible 6-for-6 on the day with seven runs batted in.

“We've just been doing a really good job of being confident, staying relaxed, and just controlling what we can control,” co-head coach Sami Strinz said. “We're back to where were doing well this year with fighting. We're just not giving up and it's fun. I never had a doubt at any moment in either of those games that we were going to lose them just because of the team's presence and how they were showing up.”

"Today was a great day for our team," Dauer said. "We kept our momentum going from our sweep two days ago and came out with that same energy."

Taking advantage of a hit batter and infield error by BYUH, Academy of Art cashed in two runs on a double by Thurman in the first inning of game one to start her tear. Dauer (7-15) picked up her third strikeout of the game in the second inning before senior Andrea Hanchey rocketed the ball to junior Lauren Stover at second base to catch Sara Brown in a steal attempt and end the inning.

It was more dominance from Dauer in the third. The Los Osos, CA native fanned the first two batters of the frame and continued to roll through the fifth when she struck out the side. During that amazing stretch, the senior struck out seven of 11 batters faced and retired 11 of 12. Dauer maintained her bid for the first no-hitter in program history through the fifth, but Chandra Tewari broke that up with a single in the sixth.

“I just stayed loose today and I am always confident that my defense will take care of the rest,” Dauer said.

The Knights went up 3-0 in the third after Thurman's second double was followed by a RBI single from Hanchey. Although Academy of Art would put runners in scoring position in the fourth and fifth, those runs were not converted and BYU-Hawaii made its comeback attempt in the sixth when a one-out single and double got them going. The visitors plated two in the inning to shorten the ART U lead down to 3-2, but that lasted only briefly because the Urban Knights rallied again in the sixth.

Back-to-back singles from sophomores Kamyle Glover and Haily MacDonald set the table for junior Elyse Cordova who doubled home both on a 1-0 pitch. Not long thereafter, Cordova scored on a Thurman RBI single and the speedy junior became the first Urban Knight to ever score 100 runs with that touch of home plate.

The final frame saw Dauer match her career-high with her 10th strikeout before a dramatic rundown ended the inning. BYUH's Hailey Sones attempted to score on a single up the middle, but Cordova's explosive arm brought the ball home where Hanchey, Thurman, and finally Dauer all contributed to the last out. Dauer's final stat line saw her post her 14th complete game of the season with 7.0 innings pitched, two runs allowed on four hits, and the 10 strikeouts which matched the 10 she had against the Seasiders last season.

“Kim was tremendous for us,” Coach Strinz said. “She pretty much threw what she wanted when she wanted and got them to chase stuff that she wanted them to chase. She was in control the whole time and it was a lot of fun to watch for me. I'm really glad she's finishing out her career this way.”


Playing in its final game of the 2013 regular season, BYU-Hawaii refused to fall behind in the second contest. The Seasiders capitalized on two walks along with a double from Tiffanee Frampton and went ahead 3-0 heading to the bottom of the first. ART U got one back in their half when a single by Cordova was followed by her eighth and ninth stolen bases of the season then another RBI single for Thurman.

Academy of Art starter Shelby Gill (3-8) settled in after the first and retired 12 of the next 16 batters she would face. Through her 5.0 innings pitched, she never allowed more than one hit per inning following the first. A home run by BYUH's Corallee Alexander in the sixth ended the day for Gill, but she left with a lead after the Urban Knights exploded for four runs in the fifth.

It all began with a Cordova double that gave her now four consecutive games with a two-bagger. Stover then swapped places with her fellow junior on a RBI double before Thurman belted one beyond the left field fence. Thurman's first home run of the year was a big one as it gave the Knights two more runs and kept them now ahead 6-3. Later in the inning, senior Alyssa Hickey converted in a pinch-hit situation with the bases loaded, delivering a sacrifice fly to right and making it 7-3 ART U.

The Seasiders came back in the sixth and Academy of Art turned to its top reliever sophomore Kristin Valdivia to keep the opponent at bay. The Knights would exit that top half with a 7-5 lead and added one more on their turn via a double from Thurman (her third of the afternoon) and a RBI single for Hanchey. On again to pitch the seventh and earn the save, Dauer added to her strikeout total and got the final two batters to swing and miss, preserving Shelby Gill's third win and finishing the 8-5 game two.

Thurman's day will go down as one of the best in program history. She was 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs in the first contest, then backed that up with another 3-for-3 game two that included a home run, a double, and four RBIs. She also scored three times in the doubleheader.

“I was just focused and really relaxed [at the plate],” Thurman said. “It feels good [to get these wins] and I couldn't have done it without my team.”

Cordova had her own impressive day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored in the opener and 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three stolen bases in game two. Hanchey was 2-for-6 on the day with one RBI in each game while Glover was 2-for-3 with a run scored in the first contest. MacDonald went 2-for-7 in the doubleheader, scoring three times to complement a 1-for-4 game two from Stover that included a RBI and run scored. The four-game win streak elevates Academy of Art to 17-30 overall and 13-17 in PacWest play.

BYU-Hawaii ends its 2013 campaign at 6-42 overall and 3-29 in PacWest play. The team was led offensively by Tewari who went 3-for-4 with an RBI, a run scored, and two stolen bases on the day. Frampton (4-20) had the best pitching performance of the day. She pitched a complete 6.0 innings of game one with six runs allowed on 10 hits then came in for the final 2.0 innings of game two and surrendered two runs on four hits.

“This a great preparation for our senior day,” Dauer said. “We all want to go out strong and doing what we love to do.”

The final two games of ART U's 2013 season take place this Saturday, Apr. 27 back at Mission Blue Field. Seniors Julie Martin, Alyssa Hickey, Kimberly Dauer, Andrea Hanchey, & Nicole Smith will be honored prior to the first pitch of game one which is scheduled for 12:00 PM versus Notre Dame de Namur. Sign up for the Senior Day FAN BUS here: FAN BUS CENTRAL > Softball