TURLOCK, Calif. – ART U softball was part of two low-scoring affairs with strong pitching on both sides in their return to Pedretti Sports Complex for day two of the Tournament of Champions. The day began with a pitchers' duel between sophomore Brenna Mitchell (8-7) and her Stanislaus State counterpart that was decided on the Warriors' three-run homer in the eighth. Then, a collection of early unearned runs came in game two against No. 25 Chico State and that margin would last for the Wildcats' 4-1 win.

GAME ONE (ART U vs. STAN)
A total of 10 straight outs began the Knights' matchup with tournament host Stanislaus State and it would be a sign of things to come. Both Mitchell and Karina Callazo (7-2) were in good rhythms, keeping the game scoreless with three no-hit innings apiece.

Mitchell got out of a bases-loaded jam in the third on a lineout, induced a flyout despite giving up her no-hitter in the fourth, and was soon back to putting up zeroes. ART U put two on after breaking up Callazo's no-hitter in the fifth, but a strikeout later ended the threat of two on. Mitchell retired seven in a row to send the game into extra innings still scoreless.

The Academy of Art eighth began with sophomore infielder Samantha Klune placed at second base per international tiebreaker rules, but three consecutive outs gave Stanislaus State the walk off opportunity. Though freshman Taylor Ah Mook Sang made a nice diving grab for a foul out to start, it was Ruby Quiralte who sent a game-ending three-run homer over the left field fence, giving the Warriors a 3-0 win.

Despite the loss, Mitchell finished a career-high 7.2 innings with just three runs allowed on three hits and a trio of strikeouts. Her counterpart, Callazo, would go 8.0 innings with only a single hit allowed and one strikeout in the shutout.

GAME TWO (ART U vs. Chico)
In the first inning of this third meeting of Academy of Art and No. 25 Chico State this season, the Wildcats benefitted from three hits and an error in the opening inning to go up 4-0. All four were unearned runs charged to junior pitcher Hunter Allen (2-4) who settled in and pitched tough the rest of the way.

Like the first game, however, Allen's counterpart was impressive. Haley Gilham (10-7) would allow just one hit through her first six innings as the Knights struggled to get a runner to second base against her. Double plays helped both pitchers complete their respective fifth innings.

With the score still favoring Chico 4-0 in the seventh, ART U began their comeback with a Mitchell walk, a single by senior catcher Elise Oldham, and finally a run-scoring double from freshman infielder Brenna Youngquist. The Wildcats would hold the line and ended up winning 4-1 despite Allen's final line of no earned runs in 6.0 innings of work.

Academy of Art exits the day 13-20-1 overall. Oldham was the lone ART U player to record a hit in each game while Youngquist finished the second contest 1-for-3 with a double and a RBI.

Stanislaus State improved to 19-17 overall with the victory and Chico State rose to 23-10. The Warriors' Quiralte (1-for-3) had the game-winning three-run homer in game one while Chico State's Ari Marsh went 3-for-4 in game two and Gilham not only allowed one run on three hits and had seven strikeouts, but also went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.

The Urban Knights return to Pedretti Park for their final two matchups in the Tournament of Champions on Sunday. Back-to-back games feature Cal State Dominguez Hills at 9 a.m. on Field 2 and Simon Fraser at 11:30 a.m. on Field 5.