LA MIRADA, Calif. – Despite scoring first on another clutch hit by freshman infielder Haley Randall, Academy of Art softball fell to Biola 5-2 after Eagles rallies in the two subsequent innings back at Freedom Field on Sunday morning.

The weather-adjusted series finale began with senior outfielder Gabi Hirsch and senior infielder Gracie Sotomayor both reaching base before Randall stepped in with two outs. Aggressively going after pitches, the Art Education major proceeded to send a single up the middle on her third offering and suddenly the Urban Knights were up 2-0.

BU came back strong with two singles and a walk to start their half of the first and soon the game was tied 2-2 following an error and another single. Five hits then yielded three more runs in the bottom of the second inning as the home team moved ahead 5-2.

Senior pitcher Hannah Rose Balke (1-7) settled into a rhythm, retiring the side in order in the third before watching her team create a prime scoring opportunity in the fourth. Two singles led it off, but Paige Austin (4-1) bore down and got two strikeouts en route to preserving the lead. No hits were allowed in the fifth or sixth innings and freshman outfielder Emily Montes recorded her second hit in the seventh, but the Eagles ended on top 5-2.

Now 1-12 on the year and 0-4 in PacWest play, Academy of Art was once again led by Randall who finished 2-for-3 with two runs batted in. Montes added a 2-for-3 performance as well and sophomore infielder Cassandra Mittman went 1-for-3.

Biola ends the weekend with a 7-2 overall record and 4-0 conference record. Jennifer Morinishi's all-around performance saw her go 3-for-3 with two RBIs and toss a scoreless inning in the pitcher's circle to save the win for Austin who allowed two runs on four hits with one walk and nine strikeouts in 6.0 innings.

Returning to the Bay Area for the next three weeks, Academy of Art will first play Sonoma State on Tuesday, Feb. 25 before starting a 12-game PacWest homestand.