Box Score

Oakland, CA -- Academy of Art University head baseball coach Brian Guinn was looking to shake things up on Tuesday night and inject some life and his lineup by moving some pieces around. And with some familiar faces in unfamiliar places, the team responded in a big way. The Urban Knights jumped out to an early lead over conference rival Dixie State, but when that lead dwindled  in the later innings, they battened down the hatches and pulled off a win in dramatic fashion, walking off in the bottom of the ninth with some clutch hitting.
Yesterday it was the Red Storm that scored early and often, but Tuesday it was a different story, as the Knights opened up the game with a bang behind starter Nick Boyett. The sophomore set the Red Storm down in order in the top of the first, and ART U jumped on Mark Marinch in their half. Chucky Cavestany continued to rake the ball, hitting a double to left with one out. After a fly ball from Lyle "Kalani" Brackenridge moved him to third, Daniel Skinner singled back up the middle. Maclane Brady, the designated hitter to start the game, then took an 0-2 pitch and drove it down the right field line, over the fence and onto 8th Street for his second home run in two days, giving the Knights a 3-0 lead.

ART U would add a pair in their half of the fourth, as Skinner led off with another hit back up the middle that ricocheted off the pitcher for a single. He went to second on a passed ball, and Jordan Thomas, playing third base today, hit a bloop that fell for another hit and put runners on second and third. Dixie State went to the bullpen, bringing in Rustin Sveum, son of former major league player and manager Dale Sveum, who promptly gave up a laser of a single from Ryan Ramirez to score both runners and make it 5-0. 

Dixie got their first and only run against Boyett in the fifth, as they strung together hits by Ty Johnson, Dalton Gust, and Drew McLaughlin to make it 5-1. The Urban Knights got that run right back in the bottom of the inning when Cavestany singled and Skinner doubled deep to right center to score him, and it was 6-1 heading into the seventh.

Dylan Rodrigues worked out of a jam in the seventh, but flamethrower Paul Durbak hit a bit of a rough patch in the eighth that got Dixie State back into the game. Durbak walked the bases loaded, and Guinn went to the bullpen again, bringing in his closer Maclane Brady, who started the game at DH but took the mound. Brady had some trouble, too, as a wild pitch scored the first run.

After a groundout, a strikeout pitch fooled everyone and went to the backstop, resulting in an errant throw to first that allowed two runs to score. After an RBI single, Brady finally got a flyout that ended the inning with the Knights still up 6-5. But the drama didn't end there. In the ninth, a leadoff walk turned into a situation with a runner on second and two outs. Brady got Johnson to pop up, but the ball fell on the infield and the tying run crossed the plate, making it 6-6 heading to the bottom of the ninth.

That's where the Knights rediscovered the offense that had deserted them for the middle innings. Ryan Ramirez hit a looping liner that kicked off the glove of the shortstop for a leadoff single. Cody Edmunds had a sacrifice bunt, and freshman Daniel Gutierrez singled to right field, bringing up Joseph Marchini with one out and runners on first and third. After working himself into a 2-2 count, Marchini fought off some fuzz, fouling off two strikeout pitches from Matt Hill before hitting a ground ball to second base that was too soft to be turned into a double play, allowing Ramirez to cross the plate and giving the Knights a walk-off win, their first of the season. 

Skinner had a big day for the Knights, going 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored. Cavestany raised his average to .486 on the year with three hits of his own, scoring twice as well. Brady (1-0) earned the win in relief despite the blown save, while also adding a homer and two RBIs. Ryan Ramirez also had two hits, two RBIs, and a run scored. Nick Boyett pitched well, going six innings and only allowing the one run, striking out a career-high five batters.

The two teams meet in the series finale on Wednesday at 1:00 PM.