Box Score

Oakland, CA -- Baseball is a game of ups and downs, many of which can take place in the same. The Urban Knights rode that roller coaster tonight in a tough 6-5 loss to Cal State Stanislaus. Zach Mexicano didn't have his best stuff but pitched 8.1 innings and left the game with the lead, but the Knights where on the wrong side of a ninth inning that had four runs and for errors combined.

First baseman Stefen Henderson was in the front row of that roller coaster after coming off a career performance with a program-high five RBIs last week against Hilo. He picked up right where he left off in the first inning, doubling in the first run of the game with a blast to left that was only a couple feet away from the top of the wall. He scored on the ensuing double by Kenny Rollins, making it 2-0 Academy of Art after the first.

The score stayed that way until the third inning, when Stanislaus took advantage of Mexicano's wildness to build a rally. Ross Gonsalves walked on four pitches. Eli Davis singled through the left side, extending his hitting streak to nine games. Michael Turay sacrificed them over into scoring position, and then Justin Manci got one in on an RBI groundout. Mexicano fell behind 2-0 before uncorking a wild pitch that allowed the tying run to score, but two batters later struck out Colton Beatty to end the inning with the score tied 2-2.

Stanislaus added another in the fourth after Joe Medeiros and Craig Beevers both walked. Gonsalves poked a single through the left side, but with two men in scoring position, Mexicano bore down and got Turay to fly out in a full count to limit the Warriors to only one run, and after four innings it was 3-2 Cal State Stanislaus.

"He was fortunate that he didn't make a lot of mistakes," said head coach Brian Guinn. "He walked a lot of guys, too many guys, but he got outs when he needed to. When a guy doesn't have his best stuff and can still get outs, that's the mark of a good pitcher."

The Knights got two runners on in the fifth on back-to-back singles by Niko Leite and Wade Broadstreet, and then two more in the sixth on back-to-back singles by Rollins and James Singzon, part of a 3-for-4 day by Rollins. But he misread a short fly ball by the next batter Devin Mason and was doubled off at second base to end the threat in the sixth.

"He's been hitting the ball hard the past week, and today some of them fell in," Guinn said. "He's been squaring it up real well, and today he just hit them where they weren't."

The Warriors then got a taste of their own medicine in the bottom of the seventh, as it was the Urban Knights turn to work the count and make a rally for free. Bryce Hutchings worked a full count and then took a walk. Johnathan Robbins sacrificed him to second, and then Broadstreet worked a full count and also took ball four. Niko Leite struck out swinging, and then Zach Babitt walked on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases.

Henderson came up with the bases loaded, looking to build upon his day in a similar situation to that against Hilo, and after working a full count, he took a close pitch on the outside corner to walk in the tying run. The Warriors went to their bullpen again, bringing in Kevin Snapp for his first appearance of the year. Against his first batter he threw one to the backstop, allowing Broadstreet to score the go-ahead run. Rollins worked the fifth full count of the inning, but grounded out to third base to end it with the Knights up 4-3.

Mexicano came out for the top of the ninth and started it off in great fashion, striking out the pinch-hitter Andy Yingling on a 3-2 pitch. That's when things got a little crazy. Beevers lifted a deep fly ball that Devin Mason looked like he had tracked down on the warning track in left field, but he ran into the wall and the ball skittered off down the line, allowing Beevers and the tying run to get to third. Guinn went to his bullpen, and Stefen Henderson came in with the chance to lock it down. He got Gonsalves to pop out to second, needing only one more out to seal the deal, but the pitcher walked Eli Davis to put two runners on. Then, on a ground ball to the right side, Henderson muffed a throw from his replacement at first, Spencer Roland, allowing the tying run to score. Manci then tripled, putting Stanislaus up by two after a three-run ninth, all of which were unearned.

But the Knights weren't done, as Robbins singled to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Broadstreet flied out to center, but then Niko Leite hit one to left that could have been caught by Beevers but got by him, allowing Robbins to test the arm of the shortstop by trying to score from first. But the catcher Turay couldn't hold on to the relay, and Robbins slid in safely, with Leite taking third and representing the potential tying run. The Knights got the winning run when Babitt walked and then stole second, but Henderson struck out on three pitches and then Rollins grounded out, leaving a big "what could have been" on base.

"That's part of baseball, you have to handle adversity,"  said Guinn. "Sure he had some ups and downs, but so does everybody. I know that Stefen and the rest of the team will bounce back tomorrow."

The Knights will play the Warriors again tomorrow, with a doubleheader to close out the series. The first game will start at 2:00 PM at Laney College in Oakland.