CHICO, Calif. – The Urban Knights left for Chico early Friday morning, hours before the sun would make its way above the horizon. There was no sign of fatigue however, as ART U silenced the Wildcats (6-1, 0-0 CCAA) 4-0 on the back of junior right hander Brett Bovee's complete-game shutout.
 
Academy of Art (1-3, 0-0 PacWest) would save the drama for the latter half of the game however, as the contest's first run did not cross the plate until there were two outs in the Knights' half of the sixth inning. With one out, junior shortstop Payton Milone would double down the left field line for his first hit of the ballgame. Immediately after, senior left fielder Greg Ivory would pop out to second base which made it seem as if the rally might be cut short. However, senior centerfielder Joseph Marchini would come through and deliver a clutch RBI double to left center. Senior third baseman Tyler Strawn would provide another two-out RBI with a single to center field that brought Marchini in to score, giving ART U a 2-0 advantage.
 
The two runs in the sixth were more than enough for Bovee who would not allow another hit for the rest of the contest.
 
For good measure, the Urban Knights tacked on two insurance runs in the ninth inning. With the bases loaded and one out, senior second baseman Cody Edmunds reached on a fielder's choice to allow freshman designated hitter Daniel Farfan to score. ART U's final run came across when Edmunds stole second base and the Wildcats' catcher, Dillon Kelley, made an error in his attempt to throw out the runner. As a result, senior first baseman Brett Adami came in to score.
 
Bovee was dominant throughout the game, tossing 9.0 innings while only allowing three hits and two walks with one strikeout.
 
"Chico State is one of the best programs in the country," noted head coach Dan McDermott. "They are talented, well-coached and play with great confidence. We were fortunate today to benefit from outstanding pitching from Bovee…he stayed aggressive early in the count and let Chico put the ball in play."
 
The Las Vegas native's performance was also backed up by consistent and timely hitting by several Urban Knights: Marchini went 2-for-3 on the day with a double, an RBI and a walk, Adami and junior catcher Zack Trueblood were both 2-for-4 at the plate, and Strawn was 1-for-4 in the contest with a run batted in.
 
"Offensively, the guys are starting to come into their own," said McDermott. "We had many quality at-bats today led by Marchini and Farfan. Adami and Strawn each had clutch RBI singles while Edmunds extended the eighth with his wheels by beating out a double play ball and later stealing second base. His speed was directly responsible for two runs."
 
ART U will continue their three-game series with the Wildcats during Saturday's double header. First pitch times are set for noon and 3 p.m.