TURLOCK, Calif. – In its second game at the 14th annual Tournament of Champions presented by Turlock Convention & Visitors Bureau, Western Oregon University's softball team fell in extra innings to Academy of Art University, 2-1, Friday at the Turlock Regional Sports Complex.

Sophomore Kelsie Gardner would register the only two hits for Western Oregon (11-17), while sophomore Sammi Cadwallader went the distance for the Wolves allowing two earned runs on 10 hits in 7.1 innings of work to go along with two strikeouts.

Academy of Art (15-19) was led offensively by Haily MacDonald with three hits in four at-bats, as MacDonald scored both runs for the Urban Knights. In the circle, Alexa Peters got the start allowing one earned run on one hits in 3.2 innings of work before turning the ball over to Brenna Mitchell for the final 4.1 innings as she allowed just one hit to go along with a game-high six strikeouts en route to earning her 11th win of the season.

In the bottom of the first inning, Academy of Art would take an early lead on a RBI groundout by Taylor Thurman that scored MacDonald after she led off the at-bat with an infield single.

Western Oregon would tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the third inning when sophomore Destiny Kuehl and Gardner executed a perfect double steal with Gardner stealing second before getting caught in a rundown between second and third that allowed Kuehl to cross home before Gardner was tagged out for the third and final out of the inning.

Neither team would score again until the eighth inning when the international tie-break rule was put into play, as Western Oregon junior Elaine Sperry began the at-bat on second base and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Kuehl only to have Sperry stranded on third on a short infield pop out before an inning-ending fly out to left field.

Academy of Art would take advantage of the international tie-break rule, as the Urban Knights loaded the bases with no outs before Western Oregon executed a perfect defensive play getting the lead runner at home to keep the game going. Unfortunately, ArtU's Jessica West would end the game with a walk-off single through the left side that scored MacDonald with the game-winning run as the Urban Knights grabbed the 2-1 victory.

Western Oregon will close out opening day play at the Tournament of Champions later tonight – Friday, March 27 – against California State University Chico beginning at approximately 6:45 p.m. at the Pedretti Sports Complex Fields in Turlock, California.