SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Dominican softball fell 8-3 and 5-1 Friday afternoon to Academy of Art at Penguin Field.
The Penguins (7-7) struggled to get runners across leaving 17 runners stranded on the day. Senior third basemen Alyssa Ramirez led Dominican with a .625 on-base percentage on the day with two singles, two hit-by-pitches and a walk while scoring two runs on the day. Freshman outfielder McKenna Daley added a 2-for-4 day at the plate. Chelsea Sligh led the Urban Knights (5-5) with a 5-for-6 day at the plate with four runs and three RBI.
Game one
After both pitchers kept a clean sheet in the first inning, Haley Randall led off the second with a double and Chelsea Sligh homered two batters later to give the Urban Knights the 2-0 lead. Dominican responded in the bottom of the frame as Ramirez was hit by a pitch and sophomore infielder Faith Erb beat out a bunt for a single before both advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Sophomore catcher Celeste Salas then laid down a squeeze bunt and Ramirez beat the throw home to score one for the Penguins. Erb came home soon thereafter on a wild pitch to tie the game. Senior utility Alyssa Waltman walked and Daley singled to load the bases with one out. Senior infielder Mady Christensen was then hit by a pitch to bring home one more for the 3-2 lead heading to the third.
Neenah Pangilinan tied the game in the top of the third with a solo shot and in the fourth Sligh singled before Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki doubled to left center to bring her home for the 4-3 lead. Waltman and senior outfielder Vanessa Porto both singled in the bottom of the frame, but a foul out to third base allowed ART U to leave the runners stranded.
Pangilinan doubled to left to lead off the fifth and Haley Randall singled with two outs to bring her home to extend the lead to two. The Urban Knights continued the hot hitting with Sligh leading off the sixth with a single and coming home on a Grayhorse-Pupecki single. Three more singles and a sacrifice fly allowed ART U to extend the lead to 8-3 heading to the bottom of the seventh as the Penguins were unable to get any closer.
Game two
The Urban Knights continued their hot hitting in the second game as Gabi Hirsch singled to center to lead off the game and made her way home on a sacrifice bunt and a single from Lauryn Henderson for the 1-0 lead. Ramirez singled up the middle to lead off the bottom of the frame and Porto
placed a bunt perfectly for a single on the next at bat with both advancing on a sacrifice bunt. Sophomore outfielder Peyton Mott then brought home Ramirez with a sacrifice fly to tie the game.
After both teams recorded clean innings in the third, Cecilia Lopez and Sligh singled with one out with a squeeze bunt bringing home one for the 2-1 lead. Lapinid singled to center to lead off the bottom of the frame and Keltner singled two batters later to move her in scoring position, but Lopez struck out the final two batters to retain the lead.
Sligh doubled down the left-field line with two outs in the top of the sixth and Alyssa Brundage singled to left to bring her home and extend the lead to two for ART U. The Urban Knights added two more runs in the top of the seventh as Henderson doubled to deep center for the final runs of the game.
Dominican will return to the diamond Saturday to take on Academy of Art in a doubleheader beginning at noon PDT at Mission Blue Field in Brisbane. Live coverage infomration is available on our schedule page.
