Box Score
Oakland, CA -- Friday was wet and rainy for the entire nine innings of the baseball game between Academy of Art University and Cal State Dominguez Hills, but the Urban Knights fought through to almost pull off an impressive comeback, stranding the tying runner in scoring position to drop the series opener 6-4. The Toros withstood a final charge by the Knights with the rain coming down in sheets at Laney College, as the Knights scored three in the bottom of the ninth before CSUDH shut the door.

The rain was lightly falling when Aaron Garabedian took the hill in the first inning for the Knights, as both he and Dominguez Hills starter David Haerle mirrored each other in the box score. Both went through the first two innings without a hitch, but the Knights utilized the small-ball approach to get on the board first in the bottom of the third.

Lyle "Kalani" Brackenridge led off the inning by working a full count and then drawing a walk. Joseph Marchini followed with a sacrifice bunt, and with Ryan Ramirez batting, Brackenridge proceeded to steal third. With Ramirez still at the plate, a pitch in the dirt skipped off the wet ground all the way to the backstop, and Brackenridge came in to score to make it 1-0. 

Both teams worked through the fourth inning without incident, as Garabedian gave up a leadoff single but induced a foulout, a groundout, and a fly ball to left that took a diving catch from freshman left fielder Daniel Gutierrez to put away.

The next inning, David Steininger led off with a walk, and after a sacrifice bunt, Peter Ives doubled to right center to tie it up at 1-1. Garabedian recovered to strike out Joshua Flores, and then it was Gutierrez who again saved the day. Danny Haley singled to left, and when Gutierrez came up with the ball, he fired all the way home. Catcher Chucky Cavestany picked it up on a hop and applied the tag, keeping the game tied and sending it to the bottom of the fifth. 

Garabedian induced a pop-up to start the sixth, and head coach Brian Guinn went to his bullpen, bringing in sophmore Drew Keeler. Keeler struggled as the conditions worsened, walking back to back batters, and the Knights went to the well again, bringing in Yoshi Uemura, who gave up a walk and a single to Ives once again to put CSUDH up 3-1. The Toros added another run in the eighth, and then two more in the ninth, and the Knights came down to their final at-bat down 6-1.

That's when they made it interesting, as the Toros went to the bullpen and brought in Bubby Rossman. Right-fielder Daniel Robertson beat out an infield single, and went to second on a wild pitch. Jordan Thomas walked on four straight pitches, and both runners went to second and third on another wild pitch. Gutierrez walked to load the bases, and the Toros went to the pen again, bringing in Brennan Bernardino.

Brackenridge walked in the first run, and then Marchini followed with a fielder's choise to make it 6-3 with two runners on and still only one out. Ramirez singled to center to make it a two run game, and after Dante Redhead flied out, pinch-runner Cody Edmunds stole second to put the tying runs at second and third, but pinch-hitter Maclane Brady struck out on a 2-2 breaking ball and the game was over.

Keeler (0-1) was saddled with the loss for Academy of Art, while Haerle (1-0) picked up the win for the Toros and Bernardino (1) got the save. Cavestany had yet another multi-hit game, but was retired for the first time on the year. Brackenridge and Daniel Skinner each drew a pair of walks. 

Weather permitting, the two teams will play again tomorrow. The forecast is for heavy rain through Sunday, but stay up to date by checking our website and Twitter for updates.