BRISBANE, Calif. – Academy of Art softball concluded its 2022 season on a winning note, defeating Biola 7-5 in the Pacific West Conference series and year's finale out at Mission Blue Field on Friday. Bouncing back from a 9-0 loss in the third game of the series to start the afternoon, the Urban Knights opened with senior catcher/infielder Lauryn Henderson's 25th career home run, added on four more with a rally in the second inning, and plated critically important runs in the fourth and fifth while junior pitcher Haley Arnold-Jolley (3-16) kept the Eagles' defense at bay in the victory.

GAME 1 – BU 9, ART U 0
A three-run first inning had a chance to be countered when ART U's first two batters, Henderson (hit by pitch) and junior catcher/utility Cassandra Mittman (single) reached base to start the bottom half, but Paige Austin (14-5) responded by striking out the side to end the threat.

Biola led 4-0 at the start of the third when sophomore pitcher Jolene Rhoades (6-19) retired the side on eight pitches to commence an exchange of three scoreless frames with Austin. The Eagles, however, added on in the final two innings and secured the 9-0 victory to begin the day.

GAME 2 – ART U 7, BU 5
The final game of the regular season began in impressive fashion for Academy of Art as Arnold-Jolley retired the first three batters she faced before Henderson launched a 1-1 pitch nearly into the hands of visiting ART U alumni Gracie Sotomayor beyond the center field fence.

A one-run advantage became five in the second as sophomore outfielder Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki and graduate student utility Nina Vallejos both reached base ahead of two BU errors that kept the line moving. Soon, with the bases repeatedly loaded, Henderson would single one in then Mittman immediately followed by scoring two of her teammates on another single.

Despite threatening for more, Biola was held to just one run in the third thanks to Arnold-Jolley and the ART U defense though the Eagles would exchange the favor in the bottom half of that frame. The margin grew to 6-1 in the fourth when senior catcher Alyssa Brundage sent a single to right to score Henderson, but BU rallied right back with two in the fifth.

Grayhorse showed off her speed later in that inning, legging out an infield single, stealing second, then coming home on a single by freshman infielder Carina Sanchez to give her team a 7-3 lead. Biola once again would not go without a fight, plating two in the sixth before Arnold-Jolley pitched out of the game's greatest danger. A force play on a comebacker started three consecutive outs with the bases loaded to preserve the Knights' two-run cushion at 7-5. The Eagles had the go-ahead run step into the box in the seventh, but one final groundout promptly ended the game with Academy of Art on top.

ART U ends 2022 at 10-43 overall and 7-23 in conference action. After a 2-for-5 day that featured a home run plus two runs batted in, Henderson concludes her career as the program record-holder with both 25 home runs and 82 walks along with 105 RBIs. Mittman had a hit in each contest and notched two RBIs in the second game. The fourth triple of Grayhorse-Pupecki's career highlighted her 3-for-5 day that also included a stolen base and a run scored while Brundage, Sanchez, and senior utility Alyssa Rasmussen each added one RBI apiece in the finale. Arnold-Jolley earned the game two win with five runs allowed on 13 hits, but no walks and one strikeout in 7.0 innings pitched to match her career-high for the third time.

The regular season for Biola concludes with the Eagles sporting a 25-18 overall record and 18-12 PacWest record. Jennifer Morinishi, who spent some of Friday in the pitching circle, was BU's offensive leader, going 7-for-9 with three RBIs, four doubles, and two runs scored. Austin's complete game, two-hit shutout in the opening contest included 15 strikeouts which put her over 200 for the season while Raylene Roybal (9-9) took the game two loss with five runs allowed in 1.1 innings pitched.

Stay tuned to www.ARTUAthletics.com for all the latest ART U softball news in preparation for the 2023 season.