BRISBANE, Calif. – In an emotional home finale that featured a Senior Day ceremony honoring utility Katie Tablada and infielder Brenna Youngquist, Academy of Art softball came from behind to defeat Dominican twice out at Mission Blue Field on Saturday. A two-run rally highlighted by sophomore catcher Lauryn Henderson's ninth home run of the year came midway through the first contest and put ART U in front 2-1 while junior pitcher Hannah Rose Balke (7-12) limited the Penguin offense for six consecutive innings. In game two, Dominican jumped ahead 3-2 in the fifth, but the Urban Knights scored three in the sixth to eventually win 6-3, securing the sweep.

GAME 1 – ART U 2, Dominican 1
Two singles and a stolen base led the Penguins to score once in the first inning and that 1-0 score would maintain for the first three innings as Balke and Rosa Leguria (2-5) became locked in a pitcher's duel.

The script shifted dramatically in the fourth, however, when Henderson led off with a game-tying solo home run to the deepest part of the park in center field. A double by Youngquist later followed and it was sophomore catcher Alyssa Brundage who drove in the go-ahead run via a single.

Balke, found her rhythm after the first inning, finished the game by retiring 13 consecutive Dominican hitters, ending with a thrilling play that saw the ball bounce out of the top of her own glove to junior utility Dominique Seva'aetasi who finished the play. Balke earned her seventh win of the year after tossing her eighth complete game, allowing just one run on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts.

GAME 2 – ART U 6, Dominican 3
Fittingly, it was Youngquist who again started a rally for Academy of Art in the second inning of game two, singling as the leadoff batter. Freshman utility Nikki West then roped a two-out double, her sixth of the season, into left to get the Knights on the scoreboard first.

The ART U lead became 2-0 in the fourth after Youngquist singled, Brundage doubled, and junior infielder Gracie Sotomayor plated one on a single with the bases loaded. Sophomore starting pitcher Cecilia Lopez (9-7) had worked four perfect innings, retiring the first 13 batters she faced before a hit batter was followed by three consecutive hits and a sacrifice fly as the Penguins moved in front 3-2.

That lead was answered shortly thereafter, however, when two walks set up Brundage to deliver once again. She sent a run-scoring single to right and Academy of Art exited the fifth tied 3-3 with their Bay Area rivals. Lopez pitched around an error in the sixth before the ART U bats erupted in the bottom half, scoring three times all with two outs. A Seva'aetasi triple (which tied the program's single season record of 10) brought home one, Henderson singled in another, and finally a wild pitch with the bases loaded made it a 6-3 ballgame in favor of the Knights.

Lopez had no problem finishing off the game with three groundouts in the final frame, earning her win number nine and her 13th complete game by way of three runs allowed in 7.0 innings with three hits, no walks, and one strikeout.

Now winners of four straight, Academy of Art is 18-19 overall and 14-11 in PacWest play. A trio of Urban Knights had three hits apiece on the day led by Youngquist who finished 3-for-5 with a double, two runs scored, and two walks to extend the program career walks record to 76 in her last time officially competing at Mission Blue Field. Brundage emerged with a 3-for-5 twinbill, driving in two in addition to hitting her second double of the year. Continuing to battle Concordia's Sydney Sprinkle for the PacWest home run lead, Henderson connected for her ninth home run of the season (tying Sprinkle) and notched two RBIs plus scored twice as part of a 3-for-6 combined performance.

Dropping to 10-33 on the year and 7-24 in conference, Dominican got single RBIs from four different players and had both of its starting pitchers, Leguria and Kathryn Caravalho (0-5), each go 6.0 innings with just two earned runs allowed apiece.

Though the Urban Knights have played their final home games of 2019, one more doubleheader remains on the calendar. Academy of Art will complete its season and the series with Dominican in San Rafael on Saturday, May 4 beginning at noon.