Games #10 & 11
ART U Urban Knights (5-4, 4-0 PWC) vs. Holy Names Hawks (7-12, 6-8 PWC)
Saturday, March 23, 2019 at Noon & 2 p.m.
Moraga, Calif. – Cottrell Field (Saint Mary's College)
Live Stats & Live Video

ACADEMY OF ART MEETS HOLY NAMES FOR ROAD DOUBLEHEADER
Currently the only undefeated Pacific West Conference softball team, ART U will get its first look at another local opponent when it travels to Moraga to play Holy Names this Saturday.

FIRST PITCH
The Urban Knights will head to Saint Mary's College's Cottrell Field in Moraga to match up with the Hawks on Saturday, Mar. 23 for a noon doubleheader. Live coverage will be available via the links above. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHT WATCH
Academy of Art finds itself in the middle of the PacWest rankings with both a combined .268 batting average and 3.22 earned run average. After a breakout 3-for-3 most recent game against Notre Dame de Namur, freshman utility Nikki West now paces the team in batting average (.385), ranking sixth overall in the PacWest, and with three of her five hits going for extra bases, she is slugging .692 (third in PacWest). Second on ART U with a .364 batting average is sophomore catcher Lauryn Henderson who sits fourth in the conference in slugging percentage (.682) after two home runs thus far. Senior infielder Brenna Youngquist's .357 batting average is third on the squad and comes with a team-best 10 runs batted in. She is now 30 RBIs from the program's career leader Taylor Thurman (137) and remains tied for sixth in career doubles (28), 14 back of the career leader Lauren Stover (42). After breaking the program's single-season walks record last year, Youngquist (63) still needs 10 more to become the career leader.

Sophomore pitcher Cecilia Lopez (2-1) has not allowed an earned run to score in her last 15.0 and comes into this weekend ranked fifth in the PacWest with a 1.91 ERA. A 0.18 walks per inning pitched ratio leads the conference and she has tossed two complete games in three starts. Freshman pitcher Haley Arnold-Jolley's team-leading 0.00 ERA came after two scoreless relief innings and just one hit allowed in her collegiate debut against NDNU on Feb. 23.

THE HOLY LAND
Holy Names had a rough start to the year, going 2-7 to open 2019, but the Hawks would close their 12-game Hawaii roadtrip strong with three straight victories over Chaminde to lead them into this Saturday's matchup with ART U. Cassidy Simon leads the team with a .339 batting average and 10 runs scored, but it is Lyndsey Widner who has arguably been the most productive, hitting .310 with nine RBIs and four doubles. In the circle, the tandem of Synphony Hall (3-3, 2.46 ERA) and Chailey Stewart (1-6, 2.55 ERA) have combined for 86+ innings pitched over 13 starts. Up 21-8 all-time against Holy Names, Academy of Art comes off scoring 30 runs in its previous two games versus the Hawks last season.

ART U COMPLETES SEASON SWEEP OF NDNU IN HOME DEBUT
Patiently waiting through numerous rainouts, Academy of Art softball at last had a chance to show off its talents to its home crowd as the Urban Knights defeated Notre Dame de Namur in the first two games out at Mission Blue Field this season on Mar. 16. Up 7-2 after rallies highlighted by triples in each of the first two innings, ART U claimed an 8-3 victory in the opener. Then, in game two, another dominating pitching performance from sophomore Cecilia Lopez (2-1) was backed by three extra-base hits from freshman utility Nikki West which helped propel Academy of Art to a 4-1 triumph to end Military Appreciation Day at the yard.

LOOKING AHEAD
In an annual departure from conference play, Academy of Art will next enter the Tournament of Champions hosted by Stanislaus State in Turlock. Over the course of three days, ART U will face UC San Diego (Mar. 29), Central Washington (Mar. 29), Cal State East Bay (Mar. 30), Concordia (Mar. 30), and Montana State Billings (Mar. 31).