BELMONT, Calif. – Out on the field for their first competitive action in three weeks, Academy of Art softball executed a two-game sweep of Notre Dame de Namur in both teams' start to Pacific West Conference play on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore catcher Lauryn Henderson highlighted the day with homers in both games as the Urban Knights topped NDNU 5-0 behind a masterful performance from junior pitcher Hannah Rose Balke (1-2) then rallied in four different innings en route to a 9-4 victory in the finale at Notre Dame High School.

"It was really vital for our team to go into conference play strong," said head coach Alex Gomez. "Having time off was good for us to get back to basics and mechanics, plus having coach Steve Rianda on staff now has been monumental in developing our game."

GAME 1 – ART U 5, NDNU 0
After a scoreless first inning, Academy of Art struck first in the second after both Henderson and freshman infielder Cassandra Mittman stole bases and eventually scored on a passed ball and freshman outfielder Nikki West's first collegiate run batted in via a groundout.

Armed with a 2-0 advantage, Balke struck out two in the second and another pair in the fourth as she combined with the ART U defense to put up scoreless frame after scoreless frame. She handled the bat as well, laying down a sacrifice bunt in her second collegiate plate appearance in the fifth.

Senior utility Katie Tablada added another run to the margin with her run-scoring groundout in the sixth before Henderson provided the exclamation mark with a monstrous two-run homer in the seventh. Balke would finish off the shutout with three quick outs in the bottom half of that inning, securing the 5-0 victory.

GAME 2 – ART U 9, NDNU 4
Picking up where she left off, Henderson connected for a solo home run on the first pitch she faced in the second inning and it would spark the Urban Knights' biggest rally of the day. A pair of two-out walks set up three consecutive run-scoring singles from junior outfielder Gabi Hirsch, junior infielder Gracie Sotomayor, and senior infielder Brenna Youngquist to build a 4-0 lead.

"Lauryn is an amazing athlete," said Gomez. "I am so proud of her today. She really established herself as a force at the plate and behind the plate, catching two games where she threw a runner out stealing and didn't have any passed balls. She has been working really hard and it truly showed on the field today."

The Argonaut offense had its lone big moment later in that inning with Melissa Garcia knocking in two on a homer, but sophomore starter Sarah Wapner (1-0) bounced right back and kept Notre Dame de Namur off the scoreboard for the next two frames.

Back-to-back doubles off the bats of sophomore catcher Alyssa Brundage and Tablada played right into the heart of the order where Sotomayor and Youngquist each plated their teammates for a 7-2 advantage. A West sacrifice fly tacked on one more in the fifth, but a leadoff walk, two singles, and an error later, NDNU had begun to smell a comeback now down 8-4.

That thought was soon erased as Youngquist drove in her third run of the ballgame on a single in the sixth and freshman pitcher Haley Arnold-Jolley came in to retire six of the seven batters she faced in a spectacular collegiate debut. In the end, Academy of Art successfully completed the sweep with a 9-4 win.

The Urban Knights move to 2-3 overall this season and are now 2-0 in PacWest action. Two home runs, three RBIs, and four runs scored came as part of Henderson's 3-for-7 day while Hirsch and Youngquist each went 4-for-8 in the two games. Youngquist had a double and three RBIs and Hirsch drove one in and scored once. Balke's shutout was the fifth in her career and came in the form of no runs allowed over 7.0 innings with five strikeouts plus just four hits and three walks surrendered. Wapner picked up the victory after three earned runs allowed over 5.0 innings while Arnold-Jolley tossed 2.0 scoreless innings of relief.

"Our pitchers have been working hard with Coach Steve to condition their pitches and work on hitting the 'black' of the plate," said Gomez. "I think they all did stellar and we really saw a glimpse of what they can become as a staff; working off of one another and supporting each other through the series."

NDNU remains in search of its first win after starting 2019 with a 0-9 overall record and a 2-0 conference record. Melissa Garcia finished 1-for-5 with a home run and two RBIs.

Academy of Art is next set to begin a 14-game homestand with Cal State Monterey Bay coming to Mission Blue Field this Wednesday, Feb. 27. First pitch of game one is slated for 11 a.m.