Box Score #1
Box Score #2
Hilo, HI --- It took nine innings, but the Urban Knights (7-40 overall, 3-28 in PacWest) finished with a dramatic 9-7 victory over the University of Hawaii - Hilo (18-27 overall, 13-19 in PacWest) in game one of a Wednesday doubleheader at Wong Stadium. The Vulcans came back to take the second contest 4-2 in the final game of both teams’ respective seasons. Sophomore centerfielder Johnathan Robbins was 3-for-5 on the day with five stolen bases, three runs scored, and three walks.
Game one began in classic Urban Knight fashion with an infield single by Robbins and two quick steals later, he was on third. Although junior third baseman Darnell Quinney walked, a play was made on Robbins coming home shortly thereafter and UHH got out of the inning unscathed. The Vulcans used that momentum to score two runs in the bottom half of the first and take a 2-0 lead.
Academy of Art capitalized on two walks and three wild pitches to get one run back in the second, but an error by AAU soon returned the favor and Hawaii-Hilo led 3-1 heading into the third. After leading off the inning with a double, Quinney scored on a sacrifice fly by junior designated hitter Chris Vargas, keeping the Knights close. While two more runs were plated by the Vulcans in the bottom of the third, Academy of Art would not be denied.
The fourth inning started with three consecutive singles by AAU which loaded the bases for Quinney. An RBI single to left field and a throwing error by the UHH left fielder the resulted in two runs for the Urban Knights, but the inning’s game-tying run was perhaps the most dramatic. Robbins, on third base with two outs, broke for home plate when Hawaii-Hilo’s catcher threw the ball back to the pitcher and scored in a wild sequence.
Now tied 5-5, the teams exchanged scoreless trips before a solo home run by Keoni Manago in the fifth helped the Vulcans regain the lead. The very next inning, Robbins was at it again with a leadoff single and a swipe of second base. Quinney doubled to right to advance his teammate to third and Vargas came through with his second sac fly to retie the ballgame.
The Urban Knights took their first lead of the contest in the seventh with an RBI double from junior second baseman Ryan Worley to score freshman shortstop Stefen Henderson. AAU, however, was unable to close it out in the bottom of the seventh and the game moved into extra innings tied 7-7. Sophomore righty Brandon Kistler (1-0) relieved sophomore starting right-hander Alex Rosenthal (1-9) and retired all six batters in the two innings that followed.
It was a decisive two-run rally in the top of the ninth that ultimately won the game for Academy of Art. A leadoff single by sophomore first baseman Jared DePatto, a single for sophomore left fielder Kallen Fletcher, and a wild pitch led to the Knights’ first score. Then a clutch RBI single by freshman catcher Chris Holmes provided the two-run cushion in an extra-inning 9-7 victory for AAU.
Rosenthal, who allowed five runs on seven hits, turned in the longest outing of his Urban Knight career with 6.1 innings pitched. The right-hander bested his previous high (6.0 IP) which he had achieved twice this season. It was Kistler who earned the first victory of his career with a stellar 2.2 innings on the mound in which he shutout the Vulcans and limited their offense to just one hit.
An early 2-0 advantage for Hawaii-Hilo in the first inning of game two ended up eventually being their margin of victory. However, both runs were unearned as a fielding error kept the inning alive for UHH. The lead may have been extended to three runs in the third though Academy of Art was not going to end its season quietly.
A late-game push by the Knights started when back-to-back singles by Henderson and sophomore third baseman Kenny Rollins, Jr. led off the fifth inning. Two wild pitches allowed Henderson to score and though two more walks came for AAU in the frame, Hawaii-Hilo managed to prevent any more runs from coming home.
Manago again homered to begin an inning when he made the score 4-1 with a solo shot in the fifth. In the sixth, Robbins put pressure on the Vulcan defense with a walk and a stolen base en route to third base. It was only fitting that senior right fielder Mike Gutierrez would drive in the final run of the season as he plated Robbins on a RBI ground out.
Quinney made his 11th start of the season in AAU’s final game and was charged with the loss after allowing three unearned runs on two hits with one strikeout. He finishes the season 1-12. Freshmen lefty Spencer Roland and right-hander Jeff Smith both provided two relief innings, but only one of the four runs allowed by the Knights’ pitching staff was earned.
Robbins matched a season-high with three stolen bases in the first game and set a new season-high with three walks in game two. In the doubleheader, Henderson was 3-for-6 with three runs scored while Quinney had his second consecutive three-hit game in a 3-for-4 day with one run batted in and one run scored. Holmes had the big hit in the first contest and ended up 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run.
Hawaii-Hilo had another strong performance from Manago who completed Wednesday 4-for-7 with two home runs, four runs scored, and three RBIs. Although it was not a quality start for Kekoa Lee (2-2) who allowed six runs (four earned) on nine hits with eight strikeouts, Sheldon Otsuka (0-2) took the loss with three runs allowed on five hits. Starter John Holley, Jr. (4-3) was the winner in game two after surrendering one run on two hits in 5.0 innings of work with four strikeouts.
Wednesday’s doubleheader concludes the 2010 Academy of Art University baseball season. The Urban Knights finish with a 7-40 overall record and were 3-28 in their first year of PacWest Conference competition.