SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – Entering Sunday's doubleheader with the series tied at one game apiece, the Urban Knights and Eagles each took one game in the twin bill as ART U's 6-0 shutout in game two propelled the Knights to a series split with Biola.

"It's gratifying to come down here and walk away with the split," said head coach Dan McDermott. "This is a tough team in a tough conference."
 
GAME ONE: BIOLA 7, ART U 5
 
Just as it was in Saturday's game two, ART U took an early lead, scoring two runs in top of the first. The runs came courtesy of junior infielder Angel Mora whose double to left-center drove in both junior designated hitter Donnie Gardiner and senior outfielder Jackson Murphy.
 
Making his seventh start of the season, senior left-hander Alex Fernandez (2-3) took to the mound in the bottom of the inning and quickly found himself in a jam with the bases loaded and no outs. Fernandez managed to work the following batter's count to 0-2, but then a bloop-single to center field drove in two runners to even the score at 2-2.
 
It was all quiet over the next two innings as neither side put a runner into scoring position during that time. That changed in the bottom of the fourth however, when the Eagles sent seven batters to the plate and scored three runs to take their first lead of the game.
 
The Urban Knights responded in the top of the fifth, pulling within two when Gardiner sent a 1-out single into right field to drive in Smith from third. The score made it a 5-3 ballgame, but two more Biola runs in the bottom of the frame gave the Eagles a 7-3 advantage.
 
Two innings later in the seventh, ART U pulled within two runs once again. This time, Smith led off the inning with a double down the left-field line and later advanced to third on a throwing error which allowed senior infielder Taylor Martin to reach and move to second. Now with runners at second and third with no outs, Murphy sent a 1-2 pitch into right field to record his sixth run batted in of the series. Then, with two outs, Mora singled up the middle to drive in his third run of the game, cutting the deficit to 7-5.
 
Those were the final runs that either side would score however, as 7-5 proved to be the final score despite the Urban Knights bringing the tying run to the plate in the ninth.

Angel Mora went 2-for-5 in the contest with three RBI while both Gardiner and senior outfielder Izac Bauer collected a pair of hits as well. Meanwhile, Smith reached base twice, going 1-for-4 with a double, a walk, and two runs scored. Fernandez left the game after 4.0 innings of work, allowing seven runs (six earned) on eight hits, but Gardiner (0-1) was stellar in relief, allowing just one hit through 4.0 innings while striking out five.
 
GAME TWO: ART U 6, BIOLA 0
 
ART U once again pulled out to an early lead, taking a 2-0 advantage in the first inning of the series finale: making his first plate appearance of the day, senior designated hitter Evan Ray crushed an opposite-field home run with two outs and on an 0-2 count, driving in Murphy in the process. The Urban Knights added another in the following inning as senior infielder Brennan Mauchline crossed the plate on a balk, giving ART U a 3-0 advantage.
 
ART U added three more runs in the fifth which all got started with a leadoff triple from junior outfielder Taj Dawson. Smith drove in Dawson two pitches later with a sacrifice fly to left field, then both Murphy and junior infielder Josh Carlin added RBI on a groundout and a double, respectively.
 
Now with a 6-0 lead, junior right-hander Gonzo Rios (1-0) returned to mound in what became a stellar first-career start. Rios pitched a total of 5.0 innings to tie his longest outing this season and received his first win as an Urban Knight, shutting out the Eagles and surrendering just two hits while striking out three and walking two. Senior right-hander Chris Rost (2-0) took over for Rios in the sixth and carried ART U the rest of the way with 2.0 innings of work on one hit, two strikeouts, and one walk.
 
Dawson went 2-for-3 in the contest with a triple and a single and scored a run while Martin (2-for-4, run) also compiled two hits in game two. Murphy went 1-for-3 in the 7-inning contest, scoring two runs and collecting another RBI to bring his series-total to seven (a career-best).

"Murphy has been really fun to watch coming into his own," said McDermott. "He has a real level approach to the game and he is having mature at-bats which is something our team really values."
 
The Urban Knights now own a 14-15 overall record and a 9-11 PacWest mark after spending each of their last two series on the road. Now, ART U will return home where they will split a home/away series with Holy Names: the Knights will host two single games on March 29 and 30 before finishing the series with a doubleheader at HNU's College of Alameda on March 31.

"The team mentality is great coming back home," said McDermott. "We're trying to make sure that we don't overthink things and keep things simple. That has been our recipe for success so far this season."