HILO, Hawaii -- Academy of Art started Friday night's PacWest matchup at Wong Stadium strong and held a 2-0 lead into the fifth behind senior first baseman Josh Carlin's run production and senior pitcher Ben Kaser's run deterrence, but UH Hilo launched a late inning comeback to defeat ART U 3-2.  

"We really outplayed them the last two nights," said head coach Dan McDermott. "Our defense has been excellent and, with the exception of the first inning of Thursday, our pitching has been great. The difference has been our inability to produce situational and timely hitting."

The Urban Knights put the pressure on early, starting with a leadoff walk by senior first baseman Josh Carlin. Junior utility Daniel Curiel came up next and did a job, moving Carlin over on a sac bunt. The PacWest batting average leader Thomas Delgadillo stroked one up the middle to move Carlin to third before a throwing error by the Vulcans' pitcher scored him and gave the Urban Knights a 1-0 lead. Delgadillo would end the game 3-5, plus a pair of stolen bases, for his second straight three-hit game, raising his average to a ridiculous .446.

Senior pitcher Ben Kaser was tremendous on the hill for the Knights. The Preseason PacWest Pitcher of the Year started with five scoreless frames while only giving up three hits and striking out two. Junior outfielder Alex Golembiewski started the top of the sixth with a leadoff single and after a junior third baseman Fabian Barcena sac bunt and a wild pitch, Carlin knocked him in on a sac fly to center for a 2-0 lead. Kaser got into his first situation in the sixth, walking the leadoff batter who scored next hitter on a double. UHH crossed one more run in the sixth to tie the game headed into the seventh. Kaser ended his night in the sixth with a final line of 5.2 innings pitched, five hits, two runs, and a pair of strikeouts.

Senior pitcher Gonzo Rios took over the pitching duties from there and was solid as usual, but the Vulcan's go ahead and eventual winning run game in their next at bats on nothing more than a pair of singles, one an infield hit, and a stolen base. Those ended as the only two hits and only run Rios gave up. "Rios continues to impress and is providing to be our most valuable pitcher," commented McDermott. ART U threatened late, placing a runner 90 feet away in both of the final two innings, but they were stranded on both occasions allowing UHH to slip by with a 3-2 victory.

"Tonight marked the halfway point in our season," said McDermott. "We will continue to play hard as we work through multiple injuries and look forward to continued improvement leading into the postseason."

After a loss in game two of the series, Academy of Art drops to 12-12 overall and 4-9 in conference. The Urban Knights will close out their Hawaiian road trip tomorrow with a doubleheader versus UHH starting at 6 p.m. HT at Wong Stadium.