OAKLAND, Calif. – The Urban Knights found themselves on the wrong end of a 2-1 score on Friday night, falling to Holy Names in the first of a four-game series.
 
Junior right hander Brett Bovee was handed the ball for the final time of the 2016 season and he would make the most of his start. The Las Vegas native tossed his fourth complete-game of the year while only allowing two runs (one earned), two hits, no walks, and a career-high 10 strikeouts. In fact, Bovee's strikeout total is the second-highest in program history and the most by an ART U pitcher since Nate Gercken set the record with 13 punchouts on February 20, 2015 versus NorthWest Nazarene. While Bovee was dealing on on the mound, the Urban Knights brought out the bats, but could not find a big hit when they needed it most.
 
Neither side scored until third inning when the Hawks drew first flood, driving home a run on Dusty Zeisler's fielder's choice groundout. ART U would not be subjected to a shut-down inning however, scoring a run in their half of the frame to make it a 1-1 ballgame.
 
After not allowing a hit for two more innings, Bovee surrendered his final baserunner of the evening in the form of a leadoff double in the sixth. An error prolonged the frame, allowing the Hawks to tack on another run and take a 2-1 lead.
 
Senior center fielder Joseph Marchini tripled off the wall in left-center to lead off the bottom of the sixth, but the Urban Knights could not bring him in to even the score.
 
ART U threatened again in the ninth inning when junior catcher Zack Trueblood singled into center field on the first pitch. Freshman Taj Dawson entered the game as a pinch runner for Trueblood, but took off just a moment too early in an attempted steal, allowing HNU's pitcher to step off and record the putout. Sophomore Michael Maleski would reach as a pinch hitter, but the rally fell short and the Urban Knights succumbed 2-1.
 
As a team, ART U had a solid offensive output, putting 11 hits on the board. Marchini went 3-for-4 and Trueblood notched two hits in four trips to the plate.
 
The Urban Knights will head to College of Alameda for a double header on Saturday before finishing up the series with a single game at home on Sunday.