SAN RAFAEL, Calif. – Dominican softball rode its starting pitchers to a doubleheader sweep Saturday over Academy of Art as it won 7-2 in the first game before an 8-2 victory in the second game at Penguin Field.
 
Shelby Keltner earned the victory in the first game to move to 8-6 on the year allowing two runs and striking out four in a complete game while going 2-for-2 at the plate with a double and a home run with three RBI. Taylor Rodriguez also earned a win for the Penguins (16-12, 10-8 PacWest) as she went a complete game with two strikeouts and two runs allowed to move to 6-3 on the season. Rodriguez also exploded from the plate in her outing going 3-for-4 with a HR and three RBI.
 
Game one
Keltner opened the scoring in the second inning as she turned on a 2-2 pitch and sent it towering over the left-field wall for a solo shot.  Kate Tobola doubled into the gap in right-center with one out and came home when Taylor Eby singled through the right side to take the 2-0 lead heading to the third.
 
Keltner left a pair stranded in the top of the third and another in the fourth to preserve her lead. She then drew a walk to leadoff the fourth inning with Payton Oas entering to pinch run. Oas stole second and Kama Kaleikini doubled into right center to push the lead to 3-0.
 
Cailee Grayhorse-Pupecki tightened things up in the top of the fifth as she homered to right field to bring in two and get the Urban Knights (7-16, 3-11 PacWest) within one. It was short lived momentum as Dominican saw three walks and three batters hit by a pitch to score two runs with a third coming when Alicia Garcia sent a high fly out to left field to extend the lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Morgan Saucedo walked and Keltner doubled to right to bring her home for one more insurance run in the bottom of the sixth. Keltner made quick work of the order in the seventh with a flyout and two strikeouts to earn the victory.
 
Game two
The second game got off to an inauspicious start as ART U loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first. Haley Randall brought home a pair with a single up the middle to take the 2-0 lead. Rodriguez settled in and got out of the jam with no more runners crossing the plate. Olivia Lee doubled down the left-field line in the bottom of the frame and Rodriguez brought her home with an RBI single up the middle to cut the deficit in half heading to the second.
 
After Rodriguez retired the side in the top of the second, Tobola sent a long fly ball to deep center where it bounced off the top of the wall and over for her first career home run and tying the game 2-2.
 
Tiare Guerrero finally broke through in the bottom of the third as she doubled down the first-base line on a ball that was too hot for the first baseman to handle. Lee then singled up the middle to bring her home for the lead and Rodriguez added to it as she homered to left to make it 5-2.
 
Dominican added another to its lead in the fifth as Taylor Rodriguez led off with a single through the left side and Tobola doubled down the right-field line. The throw to second was off target allowing pinch runner Kelissa Lee to come home for the 6-2 lead.

Guerrero then tripled down the left-field line in the bottom of the sixth as the left fielder missed a diving attempt at a stop allowing the ball to trickle into the corner. Lee popped up a squeeze bunt but the pitcher felt Guerrero's presence and took her eye off the ball for a second allowing Lee to reach safely and then draw a throw down to second bringing home Guerrero. Tobola added one more RBI to her big day as she sent a spinning ball between the pitcher and first base that took a hop towards the line allowing her to reach safely and scoring Lee from third to extend the lead to six.
 
Rodriguez allowed a leadoff single in the top of the seventh but needed only 10 more pitches to retire the next three batters in order to leave the runner stranded and claim the victory.
 
Dominican will return home Tuesday to face Sonoma State in a doubleheader beginning at noon PDT at Penguin Field.