BRISBANE, Calif. – Using game-changing rallies in each fifth inning, Academy of Art softball emerged victorious on both sides of Sunday's Pacific West Conference doubleheader rematch with Dominican at Mission Blue Field. Game one saw run-scoring doubles from junior outfielder Bethany Mitchell and senior catcher/infielder Lauryn Henderson put ART U ahead before senior catcher Alyssa Brundage's sacrifice fly in the sixth proved critical to a 4-3 win. Then, junior catcher/utility Cassandra Mittman broke a 1-1 game two tie with a three-run homer as the Urban Knights triumphed 5-1 and swept the day.

GAME 1 – ART U 4, DU 3
The teams combined for just three hits in the first three innings as junior pitcher Haley Arnold-Jolley (0-7) and Shelby Keltner (7-13) dueled through scoreless frames. Though Academy of Art put runners into scoring position in the second and third, the Penguins struck first with a two-run double in the fourth followed by a shutdown inning defensively thereafter.

Momentum shifted significantly in the fifth, however, when Mitchell doubled home Brundage, who had reached on an error, and another Dominican fielding error eventually set the table for Henderson. Battling through nine pitches with four straight fouls, the Game Development major sent her 10th offering up the middle, plating a pair for the 3-2 advantage.

Sophomore pitcher Jolene Rhoades (3-13) extricated herself from a jam with a lineout and strikeout in the sixth to set up a crucial insurance run off the bat of Brundage who brought in senior utility Alyssa Rasmussen from her leadoff walk with a sacrifice fly to right field. The Penguins' own sacrifice fly in the seventh brought them to within a single run at 4-3, but Rhoades would strike out the final batter on six pitches to secure the victory.

GAME 2 – ART U 5, DU 1
The day's finale followed a slightly similar script as the first contest with neither side scoring in the opening two frames. Action came in the third when two hits and an error produced one run for the visitors, but that was quickly matched on Henderson's 10th double of the year (38th in her career) which scored sophomore infielder Haley Randall following her two-out walk and a single by Mittman.

Rhoades once again provided important relief innings, preserving the 1-1 score until a dramatic change in the fifth. After Mitchell and Randall each singled their way aboard, Mittman crushed the first pitch she saw beyond the left field fence, bringing everyone in on her first home run of the season. Later in the frame, sophomore outfielder Maddie Sticka doubled and soon touched home plate on Rasmussen's single up the middle.

Not going without a fight, Dominican put two on in the sixth, but Rhoades induced a flyout and a groundout to dodge the threat and, in the seventh, she needed just six pitches to retire the side for a 5-1 win and the doubleheader sweep.

The Urban Knights rise to 4-28 overall and 3-11 in PacWest action with the day's sweep. Henderson and Mitchell hit for extra bases in each contest with the former going 2-for-6 with three RBIs and two doubles while the latter was 3-for-5 with one RBI, two runs scored, a double, and a triple. Mittman finished game two 2-for-2 with the homer and three RBIs. Currently on an eight-game hitting streak (tied for the team lead this season), Randall ended the day 3-for-6 with three runs scored and a stolen base.

In almost a mirror image, each contest began with Arnold-Jolley in the circle then saw Rhoades come in midway through to provide relief. Arnold-Jolley finished with just two earned runs allowed on eight hits with three walks and one strikeout in 7.0 innings while Rhoades collected both victories, logging 7.0 innings as well with one run allowed on four hits plus three walks and two strikeouts.

Falling to 12-23 overall and 9-15 in conference play, Dominican had Alicia Garcia go just 3-for-7 with a RBI and a double, vastly different than the performance that helped her earn PacWest Player of the Week one week prior. Despite not allowing an earned run on three hits with two walks and six strikeouts in 6.0 innings, Keltner took the game one loss then Kathryn Caravalho (3-7) was bested in the finale after surrendering four runs on six hits with a walk and two strikeouts in 4.1 innings of work.

With its upcoming game against Menlo canceled, Academy of Art next turns its attention to Stanislaus State's Tournament of Champions which begins with Apr. 1 matchups against Saint Martin's (9 a.m.) and Cal State East Bay (4:30 p.m.).