OAKLAND, Calif. – It was a successful return to home for Academy of Art baseball on Friday as ART U hosted its first Pacific West Conference doubleheader in nearly a month, and came out on the winning end in game one after a dominant pitching performance from senior right-hander Collin Carriger combined with a three-run blast from junior outfielder Charles Morgan to result in a 5-3 win over No. 3 Point Loma. However, PLNU would return the favor and pull out the 4-0 win in game two in order to split the day's pair of contests. 

Both teams showed how well-rounded they were between pitching and hitting, as all four starters kept their teams in the games and factored into the decisions. The Urban Knights (10-27, 4-18 PacWest) bats were working hard in game one by totaling double-digit hits for the eighth time this season, providing Carriger with all the run support he needed to finish off the nationally-ranked Sea Lions (28-4, 10-4 PacWest), marking the highest-ranked team ART U has defeated in program history. However, PLNU come back in the second of the twinbill, limiting the Knights to just six hits that came without runners in scoring position during the shutout. 

GAME ONE – ART U 5, #3 CUI 3
Initially billed as a game that featured two of the top starting pitchers in the PacWest, it was the bats that were on display in this game as every Urban Knight that entered the contest tallied at least one hit. Despite Point Loma starter Baxter Halligan entering the series opener with the best earned run average in the conference and the seventh-best in the entire nation, Academy of Art would string together a total of 12 hits en route to a total of five runs, the most that Halligan has allowed in a start this season. 

Though their hit in the first inning would lead to a stranded runner at first, a pair of hits from sophomore designated hitter Liam Rizzo and senior first baseman Vincent Lontz would start the bottom of the second before a sacrifice bunt from graduate student catcher Ryan Gamboa moved them both into scoring position. Then, a single up the middle from freshman third baseman Emil Jellinek that ricocheted off the glove of the diving PLNU shortstop and into center field brought both runners home, giving the Knights the early edge. 

After a brief scoring delay in the third, ART U returned to the scoreboard in a big way during the home half of the fourth. A walk to Lontz and a single from Gamboa would put a pair of runners on, but this time Jellinek would fly out and fail to drive the runners in, making the second out of the inning. That would bring up Morgan who unloaded on a 1-1 pitch for a towering shot into left field, driving in three runs and increasing the Academy of Art lead to 5-0. It was Morgan's seventh home run of the season, setting a new ART U single-season record after he passed the six set by by Chris Vargas during the program's inaugural season in 2009 before Zak May did so again a decade later in 2019.

On the mound, Carriger dazzled early on by taking a no-hit bid into the third and had only allowed two hits through his first five innings. PLNU would finally break through in the top of the sixth when Otto Kemp led off the frame with his PacWest-leading 10th homer of the season, a big fly over the left center field wall to bring the game to 5-1. 

While the Urban Knights would chase Halligan to start the seventh inning, they would not be able to add onto their lead, and entered the top of the ninth holding a 5-1 advantage with Carriger still dealing on the mound. A double down the right field line from Halligan, who remained in the game as PLNU's designated hitter, put a runner on before Hunter Otjen brought both himself and his teammate in on one swing with a home run down the left field line to cut the ART U lead in half.

Ultimately, Carriger would settle down and get through the ninth to preserve his team-leading fourth win of the year. His final line would see him end with a quality start by allowing the three earned runs on a total of five hits with four strikeouts, as all three runs scored via the home run. Taking the loss was Halligan dropping his record to 7-2, as he was responsible for all five runs scoring on nine hits allowed with eight punch outs.

Only two Urban Knights tallied a multi-hit game in Lontz and senior outfielder Ty Conrad, with Lontz the most productive between the two at 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a double while Conrad finished 2-for-4. Morgan's only hit of the afternoon was the three-run dinger as he was 1-for-4, while Jellinek was 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI. 

GAME TWO – #3 CUI 4, ART U 0
Despite ART U totaling six hits in the second game, none of those hits would come with runners in scoring position as the Knights were held off the scoreboard by the combination of PLNU starter Dylan Miller and Zachary Veen. Miller would surrender all six base knocks before leaving the game after 6.0 innings pitched, and Veen pitched three scoreless frames with four strikeouts to shut the door. 

Much like the Urban Knights did in the first game, Point Loma scored once in the second frame before doing so again three times in the third, plating all four of their runs in the game within the first three innings. A double and a single was all that was needed to drive in the game's first run, while a pair of hit batters, a walk and a fielder's choice were primarily responsible for the trio of runs the following frame. 

Despite right-handed senior Cannon Secrist matching Carriger with a complete game of his own, his fifth of the season and his first time going 9.0 innings in his career, he would take the loss by allowing all four runs on a total of five hits with seven strikeouts. Even in the losing effort, the seven punch outs helped Secrist set a new ART U single-season record, as his total of 82 strikeouts surpasses the total of 79 set by current ART U assistant coach Nate Gercken during the 2015 campaign. 

The series will conclude tomorrow with games three and four in doubleheader format beginning at 1 and 4 p.m. from Laney College.