OAKLAND, Calif. – Academy of Art baseball came into the opener of a three-game set against Simpson averaging 9.1 hits per game on the campaign, but the ART U bats were kept in relative check on Saturday as Simpson used solid pitching combined with early run support to take down ART U by a final of 7-1. 

A game-opening single from Senituli Taufahema would later score on an RBI single to left from Braxton King for the Red Hawks (6-9), who reached the scoreboard in each of the first four frames. After another RBI single in the second inning, this time from pinch hitter Brady Meeds, Simpson doubled the lead once more in the third when they scored a pair of runs with an RBI groundout and single in consecutive at-bats before making it 5-0 in the top of the fourth. 

The Urban Knights (3-7) were able to manufacture a run as a response in the home half of the frame, as graduate student outfielder Landon Levine and redshirt junior catcher Liam Rizzo recorded back-to-back singles with Levine moving up to third on the play. Rizzo then intentionally got into a run down, with Levine advancing home before Rizzo was tagged out in what was ruled a cuaght stealing for the first and only ART U run despite their scoring chances. 

Both sides went quickly through the fifth and sixth before having runners in scoring position in the seventh, but both left a runner stranded while Simpson also had a runner leave early to eliminate a sacrifice fly from second to third base. Academy of Art threatened in the bottom of the eighth, as sophomore second baseman Chris Fung initially reached on an error before moving to third on consecutive ground outs, but was left on base just 90 feet from home. 

Continuing to build their cushion, the Red Hawks scored twice more in the top of the ninth after a single and double to start the frame put a pair of runners in scoring position, with the first scoring on a sacrifice fly while the second scored the subsequent at-bat on a single. A pitching change for Simpson in a non-save situation shut the door in the ninth to preserve the win. 

Tossing a quality start to pick up the win for Simpson was Eric Winchester, who allowed the one earned run on three hits over 6.0 innings, striking out nine and walking one in the process. Taking the loss for ART U and falling to 1-1 was junior righty Koh Maeda, who was charged with four runs on six hits in 2.1 innings pitched with only one punchout. Pitching well in a relief appearance for the Knights was junior right-hander Fernando Dueñas, who tossed 5.2 innings and allowed only one unearned run while fanning four.

Three of the four Academy of Art hits came from the heart of the order, as the trio of Levine, Rizzo and junior third baseman Emil Jellinek were each 1-for-4 while Levine also scored the only ART U run. For Levine he further extends his ART U-high hitting streak to eight games, though his consecutive games streak of driving in a run ended at nine games. Also tallying a hit on the night was senior outfielder Hayato Niki, as he was the only Urban Knight to record an extra-base hit by going 1-for-3 with a double. 

The series will conclude tomorrow with a doubleheader, with the first pitch times between ART U and Simpson set for noon and 3 p.m.