BRISBANE, Calif. – Patiently waiting through numerous rainouts, Academy of Art softball at last had a chance to show off its talents to its home crowd as the Urban Knights defeated Notre Dame de Namur in the first two games out at Mission Blue Field this season. Up 7-2 after rallies highlighted by triples in each of the first two innings, ART U claimed an 8-3 victory in the opener. Then, in game two, another dominating pitching performance from sophomore Cecilia Lopez (2-1) was backed by three extra-base hits from freshman utility Nikki West which helped propel Academy of Art to a 4-1 triumph to end Military Appreciation Day at the yard.

GAME 1 – ART U 8, NDNU 3
Two consecutive errors got the Knights going in the bottom of the first, leading to one run and setting up a run-scoring triple from junior utility Dominique Seva'aetasi which would foreshadow hits to come. The Argonauts matched Academy of Art with two runs of their own on a double in the second, but that tie would be short-lived.

 

Two more NDNU errors in the bottom of the second broke the tie before a resounding three-run triple off the bat of senior infielder Brenna Youngquist (the second triple of her career) elevated ART U to a 7-2 advantage. Each team scratched across single unearned runs thereafter, but after junior pitcher Hannah Rose Balke (2-3) exited in the fifth, redshirt sophomore Sarah Wapner came in and shut down the Argos for the remainder of the game, securing the Knights' 8-3 win.

GAME 2 – ART U 2, NDNU 1
After honoring all military personnel in attendance prior to the contest, Academy of Art was forced to come from behind after the Argonauts scored an unearned run following an error in the second inning. Lopez would extricate herself from another bases-loaded jam with her second strikeout and the Knights proceeded to tie the game 1-1 on a double steal in which West swiped home plate.

Lopez retired the side on three pitches in the top half of the fourth and it was West once again who played a key role in the scoring, tripling home the go-ahead run for a 2-1 lead in that same inning. For the third time in the game, West came through in the sixth to break open the one-run affair with a two-run double, eventually sending ART U home with the sweep after a 4-1 victory.

Academy of Art, after winning its third game in a row, rises to 5-4 overall and 4-0 in conference play with the sweep. West's 3-for-3 game two included three runs batted in, two doubles, a triple, and a stolen base while five other Knights each had two hits on the day. Seva'aetasi went 2-for-6 with a double, a triple, and two driven in and Youngquist was 1-for-6 with the triple and three RBIs.
 

Defensively, Balke earned the win in the opener after allowing just two earned runs in 5.0 innings of work with four strikeouts. Wapner would add a pair of scoreless frames thereafter and Lopez offered her second consecutive zero-earned-run complete game with one unearned run allowed in 7.0 innings of work plus three strikeouts.

Notre Dame de Namur exited Saturday 0-25 on the year and 0-17 in PacWest games thus far. Abby Arzaga had arguably the best collective twinbill, going 3-for-6 with three RBIs while Sofia Garcia had the better pitching performance, surrendering two earned runs in 6.0 innings of game one.

Prior to its appearance in the Tournament of Champions later this month, ART U will face Holy Names on Mar. 23 at Saint Mary's Cottrell Field in Moraga to start a 21-game stretch away from Mission Blue Field.