BELMONT, Calif. – Academy of Art University softball returned to Pacific West Conference play in a big way on Friday, scoring 10 unanswered runs in a game one shutout of Notre Dame de Namur at Notre Dame High School. A pair of three-run homers by sophomore infielder Samantha Klune and senior catcher Elise Oldham powered the Urban Knights offensively while a five-inning shutout from sophomore pitcher Brenna Mitchell (9-8) helped ART U win the opener 10-0 before a three-run rally midway through game two allowed the Argonauts to answer with a 5-4 win.

"The Tournament of Champions was tough for us this year so it was important for us to have a vision and keep working hard this week," said head coach Sonja Garnett. "In every aspect of the game I saw improvements today from what we have worked on in practice, particularly in our approaches and focus at the plate."

GAME ONE
After getting a runner to third in the second, Academy of Art broke the scoreless tie in the third. It began with singles by freshman infielder Jennifer Thompson and junior outfielder Jessica West then an error allowed Thompson to score and freshman infielder Brenna Youngquist hit a sacrifice fly. Mitchell then helped her own cause with a run-scoring double and Klune then followed with a three-run homer down the left field line.

In what felt like a blink of an eye, ART U had gained a 6-0 lead and Mitchell provided the shutdown inning in the third, continuing to pitch well on her birthday with three up and three down. ART U picked up where it left off in the fourth as Oldham crushed a three-run homer to center field, moving her into sole possession of third in career homers (16).

Two batters later, senior outfielder Andrea Gill came less than a foot from the second home run of her career and settled for a run-scoring double off the center field wall to put the Knights up 10-0. Mitchell proceeded to retire nine of her final 11 batters faced to earn her second shutout of the year and her sixth in less than two complete seasons. She would finish with just three hits and two walks allowed in addition to four strikeouts in a run-ruled 5.0 innings of work.

"Brenna Mitchell is consistent," said Garnett. "She works hard, she competes, and is a great teammate. I was happy to see her come away with a shutout on her birthday. She threw very well today."

GAME TWO
West led off the day's finale with a single and soon came in on ART U's third long ball of the day. Youngquist smacked her fifth home run of the year, a two-run shot, over the center field fence to give her squad a quick 2-0 lead. Klune made it 3-0 soon after with her first sacrifice fly of the season.

"We have to remove the pressures of competition by focusing on a plan of attack and the job at hand," said Garnett. "Our defense and our offense did that well today. Sam, Ice, and Brenna Youngquist all produced huge hits by having a simple plan. I credit our offensive production today to our athletes' commitment to having a solid approach."

A costly NDNU error in the second inning pushed the Knights ahead 4-0, but the bottom half saw the Argos get two back on a double by Melissa Ortega. The home team then went on a decisive run in the fourth with three runs coming in on four hits and a 5-4 lead in the process. Academy of Art's best chance for a comeback came in the sixth when Klune singled and Thompson walked, but  Erin Powers (6-9) got the strikeout she needed and ended up winning with a complete 7.0 innings pitched.

NDNU is now 10-23 on the year and 8-14 in conference. Both Gianna Gesler and Melissa Ortega went 1-for-3 with two RBIs apiece in game two and it was Shelby Reali (4-14) who took the game one loss after allowing 10 runs on nine hits with five walks.

Due to anticipated rainy weather in the morning, tomorrow's doubleheader hosting Holy Names has been moved to noon and 2 p.m. at Mission Blue Field. Stay tuned to www.artuathletics.com and www.twitter.com/ARTU_Knights for updates.