ALAMEDA, Calif. – Academy of Art baseball saw junior shortstop Dominic Ruggiero extend his hitting streak to 11 games in a Pacific West Conference doubleheader against Holy Names, however he couldn't help ART U overcome the Hawks' offense on Friday as HNU won by finals of 29-6 in game one before squeezing out a 4-3 victory in game two. 

Offense came early and often for the Hawks (7-5, 5-5 PacWest), as they scored in every inning en route the big win in game one. The shortened game two was a closer contest, with the Urban Knights (8-6, 8-6 PacWest) tying the game in the bottom of the third before HNU scored the game's final run in the top of the fourth, and denied the Knights the comeback bid late in the game. Junior outfielder Ty Conrad paced the team in hits by going 4-for-8 with two RBI and one run scored, while Ruggiero ended his night 3-for-9 and also had two RBI and a run scored. For Ruggiero, he has now reached base safely in all 14 games that the Urban Knights have played this season. 

GAME ONE – HNU 29, ART U 6
After Holy Names put up two runs in the top of the first to begin the game, ART U immediately responded with a run of their own thanks to Conrad. Graduate student outfielder Andrew Shebloski would double down the left field line to begin the frame, and after advancing to third, would score on a Conrad infield single when he beat out a throw from the shortstop on a ball in the hole. 

It would take the Knights until the sixth inning to score again, but the game's momentum had long been in favor of the Hawks. Sophomore first baseman Liam Rizzo would enter as a pinch hitter to lead off the sixth, and sent the first pitch he saw down the right field line for a double, one of two he would have in the game. A single from sophomore third baseman Adam Inouye would move Rizzo over to third, and sophomore outfielder Hayato Niki would follow suit with an RBI single into left to send Rizzo home. Two batters later, Ruggiero would knock his team-leading sixth double of the year down the left field line to score them both, and would wind up on third after a bad throw on a relay. Yet again waiting for another RBI would be Conrad, as he would collect the fifth hit of the inning with a single into left to score Ruggiero. 

One last run would be scored by ART U in the bottom of the eighth, as Niki smacked his first triple at with the Urban Knights to lead off the action and would subsequently score on a wild pitch. Despite 12 hits in the contest, that would be the last of the scoring for ART U, as Holy Names would earn the win.

Conrad's three hits were tops in game one, while he and Ruggiero each drove in two RBI. Posting two hits apiece were Ruggiero and Niki, as Niki earned a triple, scored two runs and drove one in, while Rizzo ended his afternoon 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles. 

GAME TWO – HNU 4, ART U 3 (7 INNINGS)
The Hawks once again jumped out to the early lead, plating an unearned run in the first frame against ART U senior starter Jayson Summers. Even though HNU would get another two runs off a pair of doubles and a single to open the top of the third, Summers would keep the Knights in the ballgame long enough so that the Urban Knights could tie it with three in the bottom of the fourth. A walk, a hit by pitch, and bunt single in succession would load the bases, allowing junior first baseman Vincent Lontz to pick up his only two RBI on the day with a single into center field on the first pitch of the at-bat. After a walk and a pitching change, ART U would capitalize again with an Inouye single into center field to knot the contest. 

However it wouldn't remain tied for long, as HNU would re-capture the lead in their half of the fifth when a run scored on a wild pitch with two outs in the inning. And while the Urban Knights would get one runner into scoring position in each of their last three chances in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, they couldn't get the runner across home to tie the game and force extra innings. 

With two hits each were Conrad and Lontz, as Conrad is now second on the team in average among those who qualify at .385, while Lontz drove in two of the three RBI in game two for the Knights. With his hit in the bottom of the fourth, Inouye has now has a hit in six straight games, the second-longest current streak on ART U. 

ART U will look to close out the final two games of this four-game set on Saturday when they take on Holy Names at 1 and 4 p.m. from Pat Bail Field at the College of Alameda.