Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

AZUSA, Calif. – Up against an Azusa Pacific team picked by the Pacific West Conference coaches to finish third, Academy of Art University Softball earned its first series victory of the year with a doubleheader sweep on Saturday. Steady production to build a 5-1 lead through the first five innings of game one combined with another strong performance by freshman Brenna Mitchell (4-1) for a 5-3 win. In the second contest, ART U exploded for eight runs on eight hits in the second inning to tie the program record and never looked back to a 9-4 victory behind the second complete game of the year from sophomore Alexa Peters (2-2).

"The team played great this weekend," said head coach Sonja Garnett. "They kept their confidence, kept pushing offensively and stayed calm defensively. We weren't focused on the outcome, just kept our energy and kept swinging and putting pressure on. We are excited about the results."

The Knights opened game one with singles by seniors Haily MacDonald and Kamyle Glover, eventually setting up a bases loaded walk for graduate student Nirana Singh to plate the first run. Singh would then show off her defensive prowess, catching steal attempts in each of the next two innings. Meanwhile, three hits produced two runs in the top of the second when senior Taylor Thurman delivered a two-run single to give ART U a 3-0 advantage.

Mitchell retired the Cougars in order on nine pitches in the third, setting up another Academy of Art rally in the fourth when MacDonald reached on an error, stole two bases, then scored on another error. Azusa Pacific got one run back in their half of the inning, but in the top of the fifth, Singh blasted her second home run of the season beyond the left field fence. That solo shot made it a 5-1 game.

Preserving the margin, Mitchell induced a fly ball to left to exit a bases-loaded jam in the sixth and soon headed into the seventh still up by four. APU threatened with a sac fly and a RBI single, but again stranded three as Mitchell got the groundout she needed. The freshman finished off her second complete game with two earned runs allowed on 11 hits and now boasts a 1.47 ERA on the year.

Azusa Pacific scored on a wild pitch to start the second game, but that was miniscule to what would happen in the second inning. After freshman Samantha Klune was hit by a pitch and Singh singled, senior Jasmine Dickenson brought in one on a single and junior Elise Oldham added another with her own single. A one-out RBI single by MacDonald gave way to three consecutive hits including Thurman's two-run double then sophomore Jessica West reached on a bunt and an error allowed two more to score. Singh finished off the eight-run rally with a RBI single to center and it was suddenly an 8-1 lead for the Knights.

"We need to keep the intensity up and to never settle for less," said Singh. "We will continue to go up to the plate, be aggressive, and have confidence."

APU got one run back in their half of the second, yet Peters  and the ART U defense held tough in the fourth, exiting the frame on six pitches. Academy of Art made it 9-3 in the fifth when Glover smacked a triple to right center to score Oldham, who had reached on a leadoff double.

Peters retired eight consecutive batters from the fourth into the sixth and, despite allowing three hits in the seventh, she proceeded to finish off her complete game with a fly-out. Her final line showed three earned runs allowed on nine hits en route to her second win of the year.

Exiting its first PacWest series with a 6-3 overall record and 3-1 in conference play, ART U was led by eight multi-hit games and seven players with at least one run batted in on the day. Highlighting the doubleheader sweep was Singh's 4-for-7 performance with the home run and three RBIs as well as Thurman's 3-for-7 day that included four RBIs. Oldham went 4-for-7 with two doubles and one RBI while Glover was 5-for-9 with her fourth career triple.

"Our team has been putting the ball in play and putting pressure on the defense," said Garnett. "We are starting to do the little things right and that helped us this weekend. Each player is hungry to contribute and it keeps the competitive energy up."

Azusa Pacific drops to 7-8 overall this season with a 1-3 conference record. Janelle Eccles stood out with three RBIs on the day, but the Cougar pitching struggled with neither starter going more than 2.0 innings. Narissa Garcia (5-3), who had looked dominant in relief the day prior, ended up allowing seven runs in 9.0 innings across the twinbill.

"We now know what we can do," said Garnett. "It feels great, but we have to take the game one pitch at a time. We are shifting our focus to Central Washington at home this Monday."

The Urban Knights play host to the Wildcats at Mission Blue Field on Feb. 23, beginning a doubleheader at 11:00 a.m.