BRISBANE, Calif. – Academy of Art University softball completed its 2016 season on Sunday in a doubleheader hosting Holy Names at Mission Blue Field. Early offense in both contests helped the Hawks come away with a pair of victories, winning game one 15-0 in five innings and taking the finale 12-6.

GAME ONE
The teams exchanged a scoreless inning to start the day, but HNU then posted back-to-back seven-run rallies in the second and third to gain a 14-0 advantage. Academy of Art broke up a no-hitter by Holy Names starter Vanessa Pulido (6-20) with junior outfielder Hallie Curtis' single in the third, but the Hawks would hold the line as their starter retired the next six batters.

HNU tacked on one more run in the fourth and, though ART U put two on in the bottom of the fifth, another hard-hit out ended the contest with the visitors on top 15-0.

GAME TWO
Playing for a sizeable crowd in its final game of the season, Academy of Art refused to be silenced. The Hawks once again scored early and often, amassing a 10-0 lead in the first three innings. However, the bottom of the third saw the Urban Knights break through.

The rally began with singles by Curtis and freshman infielder Juliana Lopez as well as a hit batter to load the bases for freshman infielder Brenna Youngquist. She worked a 2-2 count before roping a two-run double down the left field line to get her team on the scoreboard. A mere three pitches later, senior catcher Elise Oldham cleared the bases with a three-run homer to left. It was a no-doubter and the 18th long ball of her career, giving her sole possession of second in program history.

In the ensuing innings, original game one starters Pulido and sophomore Brenna Mitchell (11-14) got into a bit of a pitchers' duel, keeping the score 10-5 HNU until the seventh. There, Megan Porche launched a two-run homer to left center, giving her team a 12-5 advantage heading into the last chance for ART U. It did not take long for Academy of Art to load the bases and start a comeback with freshman infielder Jennifer Thompson's run-scoring single, but the final out eventually gave Holy Names the 12-6 victory.

The Knights' offense came from a variety of sources in game two as four players finished with two hits each including Youngquist (2-for-4 with a double and two runs batted in), Curtis (4-for-6 on the day with a run scored), junior outfielder Jessica West, and senior outfielder Andrea Gill. Oldham was 1-for-3 with her seventh home run of the year and three RBIs in her final collegiate game.

Holy Names finishes the year 14-34-1 overall and 10th in the PacWest standings with a 7-21 record. Nicolette Soares was the team's offensive leader on Sunday, going 4-for-6 with six RBIs. Pulido picked up both wins on the day, amassing 9.1 innings pitched with one run allowed on eight hits and four strikeouts.

Academy of Art concludes its 2016 season with a 17-34-1 overall record and ends 13-19 in PacWest Conference play for seventh place in the final standings.