San Francisco, Calif. - In the final series of the regular season, The Golden Eagles split day one against the Art U Knights in what will be their last conference series as a program and at Mission Blue Field.
CUI 2, AAU 3
Junior Gabby Villa sparked the offense early with a ground-rule double in the top of the 3rd, later coming around to score on a sacrifice fly from sophomore outfielder Jessica Im to get the Eagles on the board. Concordia continued to apply pressure throughout, forcing a defensive miscue in the 7th that allowed freshman Kaliya Yco to score and tie the game at 2-2.
The pitching staff kept the Urban Knights off balance for most of the day, with sophomore Kira Morris and senior Bella Calvo combining to hold the opposition scoreless from the 4th through the 8th.Â
Concordia's offense was opportunistic, drawing key walks from Caitlynn Campbell and freshman Maddie Cortez, and seeing timely base hits from graduate outfielder Kayla Rodgers and senior catcher Shelby Pfeiler.Â
CUI 4, AAU 0Â
Behind a complete team effort, the Golden Eagles blanked Academy of Art 4-0 in game 2 earning a dominant road win in PacWest action.
Graduate outfielder Kayla Rodgers led the charge at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a double, a triple, an RBI, and a run scored. Her fifth-inning triple was a momentum-shifting blow that brought Jessica Im home and opened the scoring for CUI. The offense didn't let up there—junior Gabby Villa was hit by a pitch and later scored on a clutch RBI double by freshman Kaliya Yco.
Freshman Maddie Cortez sparked the third-inning rally with a single, while Im delivered again with a base hit to first. The Golden Eagles cashed in with small ball execution, including a sac bunt from redshirt junior Kayla Simpson to drive in Rodgers for a 2-0 lead. In the 7th, Villa and Rodgers again connected to manufacture a run, with Rodgers stealing second and scoring on a heads-up play during a steal attempt.
With the win, the Golden Eagles continue to build momentum heading into the final half of their last conference series.
NEXT UP:
The Golden Eagles will await their position in the PacWest tournament, hosted at Golden Eagle Stadium in beautiful Irvine, California. The tournament will take place on April 30th to May 2nd.
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