OAKLAND, Calif. – Sunday was a day full of emotions including a dramatic comeback and a disappointing final inning as the Urban Knights (3-7) dropped game three 7-5 to SF State (5-4).
 
Senior Josh Lopez took to the hill for his second start of the season for the Urban Knights, looking to replicate his previous outing against Chico State when he earned the win after 5.2 innings of work on six hits and one earned run. The Pinole native was out on the ropes early however, allowing four runs in the top of the first. Lopez was able to settle into a groove afterwards, allowing just one more run to cross to plate in his remaining 3.2 innings of work. In total, Lopez tossed 4.2 innings, allowing five runs (all earned) on nine hits, three walks, and two strikeouts.
 
Although ART U faced an early 4-0 deficit, they were up to the task, scoring three runs in the second and tying the score in the fourth. The three-run second was highlighted by four consecutive runners reaching the base paths to start the inning. Senior first baseman Brett Adami got the scoring started with a double to left field which drove in senior third baseman Tyler Strawn. Senior left fielder Greg Ivory then followed with a run batted in of his own, knocking in senior catcher Zack Trueblood with a single through the right side. The final run of the inning was recorded in the following at-bat when freshman designated hitter Takis Thayer grounded out to first base which allowed Adami to score from third.
 
Lopez continued to shut down the Gators for the next few frames which gave the Urban Knights enough time to knot it up at four runs a piece in the fourth inning when senior right fielder Cody Edmunds reached on a fielder's choice which allowed Ivory to score from third.
 
SF State was not finished with their scoring however, coming back with a run in both the seventh and eighth innings to give themselves a 7-5 advantage.
 
Demonstrating the team's innate sense of resiliency, Academy of Art would not go down without a fight. After scoring in the seventh and trailing by two runs going into the bottom of the ninth, the team's rally song, the theme from shaft, began to play in the background. As if motivated by the private detective John Shaft himself, the Urban Knights began to flirt with a walk-off. Three straight Knights reached base which prompted a move to the bullpen by SF State. Reliever Brett Elgin entered the game for his third appearance of the season, totaling 6.2 innings on four hits, two strikeouts, and no earned runs.
 
The next ART U batter was the hot-handed Strawn who had compiled a .454 (5-for-11) average over the series, including two hits and a run batted in earlier in the contest. With the bases loaded and no outs, Elgin's first pitch was a fastball outside, called for a ball. Hoping to merely get something across the plate, Elgin threw another fastball, this time right over the plate. Strawn was waiting in the weeds for this pitch, but just missed squaring it up, sending a soaring popup into shallow left field field which was not deep enough to score the runner from third. Just two pitches later, the rally was cut short as Trueblood grounded sharply into a double play, stranding the tying run at second base and ending the game.
 
Along with Strawn, Adami also had a good day at the plate, going 1-for-2 with an RBI double and scored in the same inning. Ivory was also 1-for-2 with a run batted in and two walks on Sunday, fueling the Urban Knights' rally with a leadoff walk in the fourth inning. After Lopez departed with two outs in the fifth, junior Cody Ball and freshmen Roman Martinez and Daniel Farfan dominated the Gators, combining for 4.1 innings of work with no earned runs on one hit, two walks, and one strikeout.
 
ART U enters their final non-conference series of the season when Central Washington comes to town for a three-game series on Friday and Saturday (February 26-27).