BRISBANE, Calif. – An emotional afternoon out at Mission Blue Field was highlighted by a pre-game ceremony for outfielder Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki, catcher/infielder Liberty Herrera ahead of Academy of Art softball dropping a pair of contests, 10-4 and 12-0, to Concordia in the Pacific West Conference series conclusion. In addition to its Senior Day trio, the Urban Knights also honored the quartet of sophomore outfielder Lida Wos plus three juniors, pitcher/utility Sydney Harmon, catcher/infielder Olivia Glover, and pitcher Kamielle Powell, who finished their collegiate softball careers on Saturday.

GAME 1 – CUI 10, ART U 4  
Three hits helped produce three runs for the Golden Eagles in the day's opening inning, but two scoreless frames ensued as Powell and the ART U defense kept their side within striking distance. The fourth, however, saw Concordia rally for five on five more hits before the Knights' answer in the bottom half.

A leadoff walk to junior infielder Audrey Allen and a single for freshman infielder Riannah Maulupe plus an error got Academy of Art on the scoreboard then Folks fittingly singled in one more to make it an 8-2 ballgame. After the visitors moved up 10-2 in the seventh, ART U once again began the comeback with Herrera's single and a hit batter followed by Grayhorse-Pupecki's two-run double yet the Golden Eagles managed to hold on, winning 10-4.

GAME 2 – CUI 12, ARTU  0 (5)
The two teams exchanged three scoreless frames to open the series finale as sophomore pitcher/utility Kayla Vaughan (8-16) dueled with Kira Morris (4-8). Neither starting pitcher allowed a hit until the bottom of the third when Grayhorse-Pupecki connected on a two-out double.

It took two singles, a stolen base, and a throwing error, but CUI managed to scrape across the game's first run in the fourth the exploded for 11 more in the fifth, forcing the early end to the contest at 12-0.

Academy of Art wraps up its 2025 campaign at 11-40 on the year and 9-27 in PacWest action. Grayhorse-Pupecki finished the day with hits in both games, doubling twice as part of a 2-for-6 effort that included two runs batted in. Folks also drove in one run during her 1-for-3 opening contest. Herrera gained sole possession of the program's career runners caught stealing record with the 32nd of her career in game one extending her single-season record to 17.

CUI, now 37-14 overall and 25-11 in conference play, was led by Kaliya Yco and her 4-for-6 day that featured four runs batted in and three scored. Defensively, Kailey Estes rose to 7-0 with two runs allowed on three hits and one walk plus three strikeouts in 4.0 innings of work ahead of Bella Calvo's 3.0-inning save. Morris picked up the one-hit shutout in game two, walking four and striking out two in the process.

With the games wrapping up the Urban Knights' 2025 campaign, visit www.ARTUAthletics.com for updates about the team.