BRISBANE, Calif. – On a Senior Day that began with the celebration of outfielders Nina Vallejos and Bethany Mitchell, pitcher Haley Arnold-Jolley, and catcher/utility Cassandra Mittman, Academy of Art softball's freshmen helped close the Friday afternoon on a triumphant note hosting Dominican in the season's final game out at Mission Blue Field. The Penguins claimed the first win 7-3 in a contest that saw plenty of offense with just two scoreless frames then both sides' pitching and defense took center stage in game two as freshman pitcher Kamielle Powell logged her first collegiate complete game shutout while freshman infielder Audrey Allen delivered the difference-making swing early in a 1-0 victory.

GAME 1 – DU 7, ART U 3
Dominican struck first to begin the day as a leadoff double eventually produced a run before two more came across in the second inning on a trio of singles. That 3-0 advantage was countered by the Urban Knights in the second when Allen's double led to a sequence in which she scored on a wild throw following a groundout.

A clean third inning was finished by Arnold-Jolley (2-25) on just nine pitches, but DU would push a 4-1 margin in the fourth. The gap again closed to two runs when junior utility Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki made history in the frame's home half as she led off with her sixth triple of the season and 10th in her career to break both program records simultaneously in one swing. She soon came in on a single by Allen, but the Penguins added another score in the fifth, making it a 5-2 ball game.

Continuing the trend, Academy of Art came back with a single off the bat of sophomore infielder Elle Edeker to later set up Mitchell's run-scoring double (her 15th of the season to now lead the Pacific West Conference). Though both sides were kept off the scoreboard in the sixth, Dominican plated two more in the seventh and held the 7-3 result when the last out was made.

Arnold-Jolley's final home start saw her go all 7.0 innings with just two earned runs allowed on 12 hits and no walks.

GAME 2 – ART U 1, DU 0
After Powell (6-14) kept the Penguins scoreless in the first, the Knights put together what would be a crucial sequence in their half of the frame. A one-out walk to junior infielder Haley Randall was followed by her swiping second then coming home on Allen's second double of the afternoon.

DU baserunners came via a walk in the second and singles in the third and fourth innings, but Powell held her team's lead throughout, even striking out the final two batters she faced in the fourth. Dominican's biggest threat came in the sixth which started on two singles and a sacrifice bunt yet the freshman pitcher once again exited the jam, doing so on just three pitches.

En route to the 1-0 victory for ART U, Powell finished game two with no runs allowed on seven hits and two walks plus two strikeouts in a complete 7.0 innings pitched.

The day's split puts Academy of Art at 8-41 overall and 4-24 in PacWest play. With hits throughout the day, Allen finished 4-for-6 with two runs batted in, two doubles, and one run scored. Each 1-for-3 in the opening contest, Grayhorse-Pupecki had the triple and a run scored, Mitchell added a double and one run batted in, and Edeker scored one run while the lone run of game two was scored by Randall who added a stolen base.

Dominican moves 19-26 on the year and 14-15 in conference action. The tandem of Melissa Garcia and Lauren Lapinid each had three hits and two runs batted in to open the day alongside a complete game with three runs allowed on six hits and nine strikeouts from Shelby Keltner (12-14). Two-hit games came from Keltner and Kate Tobola in the second contest which saw Jayla Cadena (4-3) take the loss despite retiring 17 in a row after allowing one run on one hit with one walk to go with three strikeouts over 6.0 innings of work.

With its last home games of the season now finished, ART U will conclude the 2023 season with a doubleheader rematch against Holy Names tomorrow from Chabot College at noon.