BRISBANE, Calif. — The Hawai'i Pacific University softball team had the big bats in game one and Academy of Art University got an outstanding pitching performance in game two as the teams split a PacWest Conference doubleheader on Wednesday at Mission Blue Field.
 
The Sharks (14-14, 7-11) took game one 13-3 in five innings, while the Urban Knights (14-17, 8-11) 3-0 on a one-hitter by pitcher Hannah Rose Balke.
 
HPU jumped out in front in the first game, scoring six runs in the first inning and five in the second that included a grand slam by freshman designated player Brazzlyn Tovio-Asato of Kapolei, Hawai'i/University Lab. The Sharks also tallied three doubles among their nine hits.
 
In the second game, AAU's Balke limited HPU to five baserunners as she struck out seven Sharks. Senior second baseman Mari Kajiwara of Mililani, Hawai'i/Mililani broke up a no-hit bid with a two-out double in the third inning.
 
HPU starts play in the City of Turlock Tournament of Champions on Friday when the Sharks open the tournament against Humboldt State at 6 a.m. HST (9 a.m. PDT), and then face Cal State Dominguez Hills at 9:30 a.m. HST (12:30 p.m. PDT).
 
Game One
 
The Sharks batted around in the first and second innings, scoring 11 runs to start the game that they won in five inning 13-3.
 
Freshman righthander Emiliee Leonard (5-5) got the win allowing three runs and nine hits in four innings. Sophomore Alexis Morales allowed one hit in working the fifth inning.
 
After a pair of leadoff walks, Noelani Boyer's RBI single to right plated the first run and Dominique Walker's RBI double to left center picked up the second. After AAU changed pitchers with just one out, Tovio-Asato walked and Jordan Curry got an RBI walk for the third run. A sacrifice fly by Carolann Toyama plated one more and Sienna Santiago's 2-RBI single through the infield into right chalked up two more runs for a 6-0 advantage.
 
The Urban Knights got a run back in the bottom of the first after getting two on with two out, Juliana Lopez scored when teammate Freddie Carrillo got caught in a rundown trying delayed double steal. Carrillo was out, but not before Lopez crossed the plate.
 
In the second, HPU used a leadoff walk to load the bases with one out when Tovio-Asato blasted a 1-1 pitch over the fence in centerfield for her second grand slam and team-leading fifth home run of the season. Following a fourth pitching change, HPU scored again without hitting the ball. As a walk, hit batter and walk loaded the bases for Kayla Sanchez who drew an RBI walk for an 11-1 lead.
 
The Urban Knights added two in the bottom of the second, but it could have been more. Following a hit, a dropped fly ball and a flyout, AAU had runners on the corners for pinch hitter Ryia Grant. Grant sent the ball over the fence in left, but passed base runner Adrianna Rupright who tripped at first base. Grant was called out and instead of three runs, AAU had two runners score making it 11-3. The Sharks got out of the inning and were never threatened again.
 
HPU picked up two more runs in the fourth on an RBI double by Santiago and a bases-loaded RBI walk to Boyer.
 
Santiago went 3-for-4 in the game at the plate, collecting three RBI.
 
Game Two
 
This game belonged to the pitching arm of the Urban Knight's Hannah Rose Balke. Balke, who gave up the grand slam as a reliever in the first game while facing just three batters, came back to start game two and had a gem of a game. She limited HPU to just one hit while striking out seven, allowing a walk and having two errors behind her. A fifth Shark reached on a fielder's choice that wiped out another baserunner.
 
Kajiwara was the offensive standout for the Sharks, as she reached on errors by shortstop Samantha Klune in the first inning and sixth innings in addition to breaking up the no-hitter with a double in the third. Kajiwara was erased in a fielder's choice by Sanchez in the sixth. HPU's only other baserunner was Curry who walked to lead off the fifth.
 
The Urban Knights scored on ground outs in the first and third innings, and got an RBI single from Klune in the fourth.
 
Shark junior Alexa McCoin (3-2) was tagged with the loss, allowing three runs on 10 hits in the game.