Box Score

Alameda, CA – Academy of Art University mounted another late-game comeback against Patten in the series' third and final game, but the Lions held on for a 10-8 victory in the end. Five Urban Knights contributed at least one run batted in on Sunday's nine-inning contest at College of Alameda. Junior outfielder Niko Leite drove in three runs while freshman catcher James Singzon extended his team-best hitting streak to 10 games.

“We battled to the end and that's the bottom line,” Head Coach Brian Guinn said. “One thing about this team is that we never give up. Even though we may make mistakes and get into a hole, we battle back, climb out of it, and continue to improve. The kids played hard until the last out was recorded today.”

Patten picked up a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but it was short-lived as ART U returned the favor in the third. After getting hit by a pitch, Leite was sacrificed to second by junior infielder Zach Babitt and promptly stole third. He would later score on an error and tie the ballgame 1-1.

The fourth and fifth innings saw the Lions then build up a 6-1 advantage and yet Academy of Art was again able to fight back with a rally of its own in the sixth. The four-run inning began with a single by senior outfielder Alex Rosenthal followed by a RBI double from sophomore infielder Stefen Henderson. Henderson then scored on a RBI single by junior infielder Jared DePatto, but the surge did not stop there. With runners on second and third, Leite delivered a two-run single to left, bringing the Urban Knights right back into the game, 6-5.

“[The bottom of the batting order] in particular was getting ahead in the count and getting good pitches to hit today,” Coach Guinn said. “They were putting the ball hard somewhere and that's part of baseball: If you get ahead in count, your average for success goes up.”

A response by the Lions then came in the sixth where an error eventually allowed two unearned runs to score. Though they were down 8-5 at that point, Academy of Art created scoring opportunities in both the seventh and eighth innings. Henderson reached third base in the seventh and then a double steal by senior Ryan Worley and junior infielder Kenny Rollins, Jr. put both into scoring position in the eighth. Unfortunately for the Knights, they could not convert and the runners were stranded.

When the game reached the ninth inning, ART U was down by five runs, but they would finally break through with a late rally. Rosenthal and Henderson opened up the ninth with back-to-back walks and later a RBI double came off the bat of senior outfielder Johnathan Robbins. Two additional runs were then scored on a Leite groundout and a RBI single by Babitt. The comeback was stopped short there after PU recorded the final out and ended the contest 10-8.

Leite led the Knights with three RBIs, but it was Rosenthal and DePatto who each had multi-hit games, going 2-for-3 and 2-for-5 respectively. Rosenthal currently boasts a .667 batting average which paces the PacWest. The combination of Henderson and Robbins went 2-for-6 with two RBIs, four runs scored, and one stolen base. Singzon's 1-for-5 performance on Sunday increased his current hitting streak to 10 games.

“James is getting in a good hitter's count frequently,” Coach Guinn said. “He's also using the entire field, and that's what we've been teaching the guys to do. He's having good results.”

Freshman right-handed pitcher Wade Broadstreet (0-5) allowed just three runs in his 5.0 innings of work. He struck out four Lions in the start. After Sunday's result, the Urban Knights are 4-31 overall and remain 4-16 in the PacWest.

The Lions had a strong offensive performance from starting pitcher David Whiteside who finished 4-for-4 with two RBIs. Whiteside also earned the victory on the mound with no earned runs allowed despite walking six in 5.0 innings pitched. Patten improves to 20-19 overall.

ART U faces Grand Canyon University next weekend in the Knights' return to Pacific West Conference play. Academy of Art hosts the Antelopes at Laney College for a four-game series beginning on Friday, Apr. 15 at 11:00 AM.

“The non-conference games are good for us,” Coach Guinn said. “It gives other kids opportunities to play and allows us see some of the things we need to work on in conference. We'd like to win every game we play, but it doesn't always happen that way. Mainly it has given us a chance to correct mistakes before going back to conference play.”