Box Score

Oakland, CA -- The Academy of Art University baseball team jumped out early and staged a late comeback against Hawaii Pacific University, but the Sea Warriors seemed to have the answer on both occasions as the Urban Knights fell 10-5 in extra innings. ART U scored in their half of the first inning and then overcame a late deficit in the eighth before five unearned runs in the top of the tenth inning proved to be their undoing. The second game of the doubleheader, which will be the series finale, was suspended until tomorrow night.

Academy of Art starter Nate Gercken had another solid outing, retiring the first nine batters for the Sea Warriors while his offense gave him an early lead. Shortstop Lyle "Kalani" Brackenridge led off the ART U half of the first inning with a booming double that rolled to the wall in left, and second-baseman Cody Edmunds followed by beating out a bunt to put runners on the corners. A wild pitch moved both runners up, and then center fielder Joseph Marchini reached on an error attempting to sacrifice, which put runners on the corners again with no outs. Edmunds would score when Daniel Skinner grounded a ball to second and the second-baseman tried to get Marchini at second, but the ART U speedster beat it out, allowing the run to score, and the Knights led 2-0.

Gercken got the first out in the fourth but walked Derek Nakasato for the Sea Warriors' first baserunner. He stole second, and Codey Ellenwood followed with the first hit for HPU, a double to left center that scored the first run of the game for the visiting team. Kevin Lenik followed with a triple, and Chad Bolibol hit a single up the middle to tie the game at 3-3.

HPU (16-11, 10-9 PacWest) took the lead in the seventh inning, after Gercken once again got the first out of the inning, but then gave up an infield single, a walk, and a single to center on a 3-2 pitch to Nakasato that put Hawaii Pacific up 4-2. Aaron Garabedian then came out of the pen and got out of the inning, getting a fielder's choice to keep a run from scoring and a flyout to right to keep it a two-run game.

The Urban Knights (8-19, 4-11 PacWest) then put together another rally in the eighth inning, as Brackenridge again ignited the offense by drawing a walk. Edmunds singled to right center, and Marchini rapped a ball over the shortstop to make it a one-run game. But the Knights weren't done. Skinner, belying his reputation so far this year as a power-hitting first-baseman, laid down a perfect bunt down the third base line and forced a bad throw, allowing Edmunds to score the tying run and putting runners at the corners and chasing HPU starter Joshua Garcia from the game.

Right-hander Pulama Silva came in to pitch, and Chucky Cavestany hit a ball deep to right, allowing Marchini to score the go ahead run. Maclane Brady struck out, and with Ryan Ramirez up, Silva threw only two pitches before leaving the game with an apparent leg injury. Dustin Hamilton came in mid-count, and with Ramirez switching sight lines from the right-handed sidearmer Silva and the left handed high-three-quarter release Hamilton, the Knights third baseman worked a 2-2 count but struck out swinging, but the Knights were up 5-4.

Garabedian came out for the ninth, but after a walk, the Knights went to closer Maclane Brady, who for the second time in a row came in from right field and had trouble finding the plate. After loading the bases with two more walks, Bolibol hit a ball to center that was deep enough to score the tying run and force the Knights to bat in the bottom of the ninth. The Urban Knights had a chance, getting back to back singles with one out, but Edmunds grounded into a double play to send the game into extra innings.

Brady quickly got two outs on two grounders to Brackenridge at short, but on the third one, the ball got away from Brackenridge, who was charging in on a softly hit ball by Ryan Torres-Torioka, and the inning started to unravel from there. Three straight singles were followed by a deep homer to left by Kevin Lenik, and HPU ended up going up 10-5 in the tenth, with all five runs scored being of the unearned variety. The Knights had one last chance, but after a leadoff walk, a double play and a groundout ended the game.

Brackenridge had three hits and reached base four times, scoring two runs on offense, while Cody Edmunds and Ryan Ramirez also had multi-hit days. Nakasato, Ellenwood, and Lenik all had two-hit days for the Sea Warriors, with Lenik driving in four runs.

The second game was suspended after one pitch due to time constraints and will be resumed tomorrow evening at 6:00 PM.