AZUSA, Calif. -- Azusa Pacific scored once in each game of Thursday's Pacific West Conference doubleheader against Academy of Art, which was enough for a 1-0 win in the opener but not enough to answer a three-run deficit in a 3-1 defeat in the nightcap.

Carly Xepoleas and Megan Mejia combined on the shutout in the first game, and Erinn Jaramillo drove in Kayla Jimenez with a one-out single in the bottom of the sixth inning for the game's only run. Jaramillo also drove in the lone run in the Cougars' last game five days earlier, a 1-0 win over Hawai'i Hilo which wrapped up a 10-game road trip to the Hawaiian islands.

In the second game, the Cougars were held to one run on four hits by Academy of Art's ace Hannah Rose Balk, who struck out eight in the complete-game win.

Azusa Pacific has a full week before resuming the PacWest schedule with a four-game road series at Dixie State March 24-25. The Cougars are now 19-8 overall and 11-3 in PacWest play, while Academy of Art is now 12-10 overall, 6-4 PacWest

GAME 1: Azusa Pacific 1, Academy of Art 0

Xepoleas scattered six hits and struck out two in 5.1 scoreless innings before Mejia finished off the final 1.2 frames to pick up the win in relief. After entering with a runner on second and issuing a walk to the first batter she faced, Mejia retired five straight to end the game.

After Mejia kept the Urban Knights off the scoreboard in the top of the sixth, Jimenez led off the bottom of the frame with a single to center field, which was misplayed into two extra bases to put Jimenez on third base with no outs. Jaramillo cashed in on the miscue with a one-out RBI single, placing a 2-0 pitch into right field to score Jimenez. The Cougars threatened to add more when Ariana von Zboray added a one-out single to put two runners on base with one out, but ArtU pitcher True Park got out of trouble by inducing a groundout and lineout to end the inning.

Mejia got the final three outs in the seventh on just four pitches, improving to 6-1 on the year. Jaramillo went 2-for-3, including her RBI single, for her fourth multi-hit game of the season.

GAME 2: Academy of Art 3, Azusa Pacific 1

Gracie Sotomayor went 4-for-4 and scored Academy of Art's first two runs to lead the Urban Knights to the win. Balke struck out eight, walked one, and surrendered just four hits to the Azusa Pacific offense, which was led by a two-hit effort from freshman catcher Jenna Gorman.

Through the first three innings, Balke only gave up one hit, a one-out double from Gorman in the second inning. Gorman drove in the Cougars' only run with a two-out double to straightaway center in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring Cayla Broussard from second base to cut the ArtU lead to 3-1.

However, Balke recovered for a strong finish, retiring eight straight Cougars to end the game.