Hilo, HI -- In their first set of games of 2013 on the Hawaiian islands, the Academy of Art baseball team continued their string of solid pitching performances, but couldn't get their offense going as they dropped the opening doubleheader to UH Hilo. The Urban Knights starters only allowed five earned runs total over the 16 innings played, but both
Aaron Garabedian and
Nate Gercken were saddled with losses as the Knights were shut down 4-1 and 3-1 in the twin bill with the Vulcans.
Garabedian got the call in the first game after a series of quality starts that brought him well under the ART U record for ERA in a single season, an added another solid outing to his résumé here in 2013. The Knights actually got chances but couldn't cash in, starting when
Stefen Henderson led off the game with a double. He got to third with only one out, but was stranded their after a pair of strikeouts.
ART U manufactured a run in the third, when Joey Marchini walked and was sacrificed over to second on a bunt. After advancing on a wild pitch, another errant pitch from Hilo starter Dane Kinoshita allowed the first run to score. Meanwhile, Garabedian was getting out of jams on his side of the ball, using a double play in the first and a runner caught stealing in the second to face the minimum through three.
The Urban Knights got some more hits in the fourth, using back to back singles from
Myles Babitt and
Dante Redhead to get two runners on with one out. Designated hitter
Chris Holmes took one for the team to load the bases, but a groundout from Marchini left three on base. Academy of Art would want those runs later, as they left two more on in the fifth, two hits in the sixth, and loaded the bases in the seventh, but couldn't add to the lead.
The Vulcans, however, tied the game up in the fifth on a single and a double and went ahead in the sixth on a two-run homer from Samuel Kim to go up 3-1. Hilo would add one more in the seventh on a wild pitch from
Yoshi Uemura, but would leave the bases loaded.
That ended up being the final margin, as the Knights got one on in the eighth but couldn't get them in. Garabedian took the loss in 5 2/3 innings, while on the offensive side
Myles Babitt had two hits and
Ryan Ramirez had two walks.
Nate Gercken took the mound in the second game looking to build upon his stellar complete game outing last week against Point Loma. He got some early help when Henderson singled through the left side to lead off the game. Henderson then stole second, his fourteenth steal in as many tries, and went to third on an errant throw from the catcher.
Ryan Ramirez then singled him in, and the Knights had a 1-0 lead.
But Hilo got that run right back in their half, using an infield single, a sacrifice bunt, and a single tied it up at 1-1. The Knights again couldn't cash in, stranding two in the third, while the Vulcans got one of their own on two doubles. They added another in the fourth, this one unearned, on an error by the second baseman to score Brad Fairweather from third. ART U left a pair on again in the fifth and left the bases loaded in the sixth, and had the tying run on base in the seventh, but a flyout from
James Singzon ended the game.
The Urban Knights ended up leaving 11 on base in the second game alone, while Gercken was saddled with a tough-luck loss, striking out six and only allowing two runs yet another quality start.
The two teams will play again on Saturday, with game one starting at 4:00 PM.
