Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 BELMONT, Calif. – Academy of Art University Softball's offense continued to roll through both sides of a doubleheader with Notre Dame de Namur on Friday, but pitching was the difference as the Urban Knights won game one 7-0 and dropped the backend 7-5.
Brenna Mitchell (8-4) added another first to continue her impressive freshman season, shutting out the Argonauts with a season-high eight strikeouts in the opener at Notre Dame High School. Senior outfielder
Haily MacDonald remained on fire at the plate, delivering three hits in each contest for now 12 in her past four games and a .455 batting average.
GAME ONEA consistent spark at the top of the lineup, MacDonald opened the day with a single and, two hits later, the bases were loaded for graduate student catcher
Nirana Singh to wear one. The 1-0 lead maintained through the next two frames as Mitchell pitched through a single and an error in the first before retiring eight of the next nine. She would strike out the side in the second.
MacDonald bunted her way aboard to start another rally in the third which turned the ART U lead into2-0 on Singh's run-scoring single. The advantage increased to 4-0 in the fourth when sophomore infielder
Jessica West doubled home senior infielder
Jasmine Dickenson and MacDonald brought in West with a RBI double.
After Mitchell exited a two-on, two-out jam in the fifth, senior infielder
Kamyle Glover added to the lead with a two-run double in the sixth. Junior outfielder
Andrea Gill plated a seventh run in the seventh inning by way of a sacrifice fly.
Tough the whole way through, Mitchell finished off her first collegiate shutout by retiring the final seven batters she faced, ending her performance with four hits, one walk, and eight strikeouts.
"Brenna has had a great season so far," said head coach
Sonja Garnett. "She had a great focused outing, with eight strike outs. It was impressive to see her bounce back with great maturity in such an important game."
GAME TWOMuch like the opening contest, MacDonald started game two with a double and later crossed home plate in a dust cloud after a passed ball. Notre Dame de Namur was not so quiet this time as they scored twice in the bottom of the first. MacDonald drove in one of her own in the second, providing the third in a sequence of singles.
NDNU broke the tie in their half of the second by way of an error and another in the third put them up 4-2. Home runs by Melissa Ortega and Breanna Young in the fourth pushed the margin to 7-2, but senior infielder
Taylor Thurman brought ART U back into it with a two-run single in the fifth.
MacDonald's third hit in her fourth consecutive game highlighted the sixth when she doubled home Gill. The Urban Knights brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but ended up falling 7-5 in the end.
"Haily is having great at bats and has really owned the lead off position this year," said Garnett. "The team feeds off her leadership."
Glover, Singh, and Thurman each had two RBIs apiece with Glover doubling twice. West extended her reached base streak to 13 games with a 2-for-6 twinbill. Mitchell came in as a reliever in the second contest and threw 2.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts, giving her 13 in total through 9.1 innings of work.
"We had a good day at the plate," said Garnett. "We have to stay focused on our goals and play well tomorrow. Our plan is to stay the course and continue to compete."
NDNU is now 11-4 on the year and 6-4 in conference, led by Young's 3-for-3 game two and Jenna Bassler's victory in the second contest despite 10 hits and five runs allowed through 7.0 innings pitched.
ART U turns around and hosts Dominican tomorrow, Mar. 14, at Mission Blue Field. The doubleheader is set to begin at 12:00 p.m.
