BRISBANE, Calif. – Academy of Art softball led for the majority of both non-conference games against Northwest Nazarene out at Mission Blue Field on Wednesday, but both ended up being decided in their respective final innings. The Nighthawks scored three in the final frame of the opener to edge the Urban Knights 5-4 and, when NNU looked to deliver some déjà vu with five in the seventh inning of game two, ART U responded by plating three in the bottom half on consecutive hits by junior catcher Lauryn Henderson and freshman infielder Haley Randall to walk off 6-5 winners.

"Today I saw some clutch two-out hits and stellar performances in the circle for CeCe [Lopez] and Hannah [Rose Balke]," said Head Coach Nikki Gentile. "We did play good enough to win both, no doubt. We clean up the defensive errors and both games are clearly ours. I'm proud of our team's resiliency and never backing down. Scoring three with two outs in the bottom of the seventh is big time."

GAME 1 – NNU 5, ART U 4
After striking out five of the first seven batters she faced, senior pitcher Hannah Rose Balke (4-3) looked absolutely dominant in the early going while her team provided a 1-0 lead. The bottom of the opening inning saw sophomore outfielder Bethany Mitchell rope a one-out double before coming home on Randall's single.

A significant moment then came in the third where Northwest Nazarene batted out of order, negating a potential walk that could have tied the game when a double ensued. Instead, the one-run advantage remained until the fifth when freshman outfielder Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki launched a ball over the head of the centerfielder and proceeded to round the bases with lightning speed, coming home to dramatically complete an inside-the-park home run.

The 2-0 lead did not last long, however, as the Nighthawks responded with a two-run double in the sixth. With two on and two out later that inning, graduate student infielder Chelsea Sligh stepped in and patiently awaited the pitch she wanted, sending a single back up the middle to put her team ahead 4-2. Momentum see-sawed back to NNU in the seventh when an error plus two hits produced a three-run rally which ended up being the difference in a 5-4 final score.

Balke finished with a no-decision after allowing four runs on six hits in 6.0 innings and tying her season-high with seven strikeouts.

GAME 2 – ART U 6, NNU 5
Junior pitcher Cecilia Lopez (3-2) and the Nighthawks' Tori Hensley (5-1) were locked in a pitchers' duel to begin the second contest, exchanging three scoreless frames with a total of two hits allowed. Things changed in the fourth, however, when a defensive miscue started a rally for Academy of Art that soon included a run-scoring single from Henderson and a sacrifice fly from Randall immediately thereafter.

The Urban Knights' 2-0 margin extended to 3-0 in the fifth when Mitchell's second consecutive game with a double produced an insurance run. Lopez had worked six shutout innings to that point, but in the seventh, NNU rallied for five runs on four hits and an error despite Lopez striking out the side.

Facing a 5-3 deficit with their turn to hit in the bottom of the seventh, Academy of Art started a rally with graduate student outfielder Gabi Hirsch's one-out single then, with two outs and the game hanging in the balance, it was Henderson and Randall who delivered. Henderson crushed an 0-2 pitch down the right field line, bringing in a pair of runs with the second triple of the season and in her career. The 5-5 tie was then broken moments later when Randall singled up the middle to bring in Henderson and send her team home with a 6-5 victory.

"The mentality is to always keep pushing until it's officially over," Gentile said. "Those Lo and Randy seem to always be the chosen, game-on-the-line swingers and I've believe in them."

The non-conference split moved ART U to 7-7 overall this season. Responsible for six of the team's 10 runs batted in over the doubleheader, Randall was 2-for-6 with three driven in and Henderson was 2-for-3 with a triple three RBIs in during game two alone. Each kept up respective streaks with Randall's hit streak rising to nine games and Henderson's reached base streak now at 13 straight games. Doubles in both contests came as part of Mitchell's 2-for-7 day one RBI and three runs scored while the first game saw Sligh finish 1-for-2 with two RBIs and Grayhorse-Pupecki go 1-for-3 with a home run.

Lopez factored in both decisions on Wednesday, taking the loss in game one despite not allowing an earned run in her one inning pitched before earning the game two victory with two earned runs allowed on eight hits plus a season-high seven strikeouts in a complete 7.0 innings of work.

Receiving votes in the NFCA National Top 25 Poll, Northwest Nazarene moves to 19-7 with the day's results. Brittany Genuardi went 3-for-3 with four RBIs in game one while Emma Mulligan finished the twinbill 4-for-8 with three RBIs, a double, and three runs scored. Similarly to Lopez, Gina Skinner (2-2) earned a relief win with no runs or hits allowed in 1.2 innings of game one before surrendering three runs on four hits through 0.2 innings of relief work in the finale.

Academy of Art returns to Pacific West Conference play this Friday, Apr. 9 with a 1 p.m. doubleheader versus Holy Names where the Hawks will host from Mission Blue Field.

"When we faced Holy Names on Mar. 20 is really when our season turned around and the bats have been alive ever since," Gentile said. "I look forward to the rematch as our game has certainly increased since we last saw them. Our focus will be to keep having quality at bats, moving runners, and clean defense."