WAIPAHU, Hawaii -- Late-game rallies were the theme on Saturday, but they did not yield the same results as Academy of Art University softball split a pair with Chaminade out at Central Oahu Regional Park. The opening game favored the Silverswords 2-1 heading into the seventh, but freshman infielder Juliana Lopez delivered the go-ahead run on a two-run single before sophomore pitcher Brenna Mitchell (5-4) finished off her third complete game of the year in a 3-2 win. Although ART U tied game two 6-6 with two runs once again in the seventh, Chaminade managed to walk off 7-6 on a hit batter with the bases loaded.

"We had some great performances, however, as a team we could have played better," said head coach Sonja Garnett. "Our momentum got stronger through the 14 innings."

GAME ONE
A rally by way of three hits and an error in the second inning helped Chaminade jump out to a 2-0 lead, but Mitchell would come back and quickly retire the side in the third before helping her own cause in the fourth. The sophomore, who carries one of the conference's top slugging percentages, stayed hot by leading off the inning with a solo home run and immediately halving the Swords' advantage 2-1.

Mitchell proceeded to retire 14 consecutive batters from the third through the seventh while her team put together the game-winning rally in that final inning. Senior catcher Elise Oldham opened with a single and later with the bases loaded, Lopez smacked a two-run single up the middle to make it 3-2 ART U. Mitchell finished the game despite an 11-pitch at-bat in the seventh and the Knights hoped to carry momentum into the second contest.

"Our team is certainly showing determination," said Garnett. "Chaminade played very well today. Juliana Lopez has been doing great at the plate and came through huge for her teammates today."

GAME TWO
Both teams scored in the first inning of the second contest Saturday with sophomore infielder Samantha Klune singling in one in for Academy of Art and three coming in on a pair of hits for the Silverswords. A quiet second inning gave way to the Knights rallying again in the third when Mitchell's run-scoring double backed up a leadoff single by junior outfielder Jessica West.

Up 3-2, Chaminade proceeded to add three more in the fourth and ART U would have answered back in the fifth, but an inning-ending double play squandered a bases loaded opportunity. The sixth was a different story, however, as back-to-back doubles by Oldham and senior outfielder Andrea Gill made it only a 6-4 lead for the Swords.

Chaminade then literally bobbled its chance to close with three errors turning into two runs in the seventh and a 6-6 tie going into the bottom half. Two singles and a walk would load the bases with one out and, in the end, a the final batter was hit to score the game-ending run in a 7-6 score.

After taking its first loss in PacWest play, Academy of Art is now 3-1 in conference and 7-10-1 overall. Mitchell once again made major contributions on both sides of the ball, earning the win in game one with no earned runs allowed on three hits in 7.0 innings pitched. Offensively, she was 5-for-6 on the day with her fourth home run of the season, a double, and two runs batted in. Lopez, Mitchell's former Angelo Rodriguez High School teammate, was 3-for-7 with two RBIs, both on the game-winning hit in the opener. She would increase her current hitting streak to nine games and her reached-base streak to 14 games. Gill had two RBIs as well with a double as part of a 1-for-4 game two.

Chaminade moves to 8-12 overall and 4-6 in the PacWest. The Silverswords had a decent outing from Luana Moreno (5-6) in game one with three runs allowed in 7.0 innings pitched before she picked up the relief win in game two, allowing no earned runs in 2.0 innings. On the offensive side, Amber Manuel highlighted the second game, going 3-for-3 with two RBIs.

"We need to focus on what we did well today including quality at-bats," said Garnett. "There were some standout performances at the plate, specifically Brenna Mitchell and Elise Oldham. For two good games tomorrow, we have to refocus on our goals as pitchers and offensively."

The four-game series between Academy of Art and Chaminade concludes tomorrow and, with daylight savings time affecting only the mainland, the doubleheader will begin at 2:30 p.m. HT (5:30 p.m. PT).