Waipahu, HI – The Academy of Art University baseball team was dealt a pair of tough losses by Hawaii Pacific at Hans L'Orange Park on Sunday afternoon to conclude the season series. The Urban Knights were ahead by significant margins twice in game one, but a painful ending came in the bottom of the ninth when a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded gave HPU its 12-11 victory. Ahead early in the second contest, ART U could not hold on as HPU pulled away en route to the 22-3 decision.

“We would have loved to have come out with a split in this series and the kids played well enough for one,” Head Coach Brian Guinn said. “The kids battled played hard all the way.”

ART U came out of the gate strong, starting off the first contest with two runs in the opening inning. Senior outfielder Ryan Worley blasted a triple to right center on the first pitch of the game and reached third base standing. A patient at-bat by junior outfielder Johnathan Robbins resulted in a hit-by-pitch and then junior infielder Zach Babitt had the first of two RBIs. Junior outfielder Niko Leite brought home Robbins on an error by the HPU third baseman and it was an early 2-0 lead for Academy of Art.

The Urban Knights were back in business in the second inning with a big two-out rally. Junior infielder Jared DePatto sparked the surge with a single to right and after ART U worked a pair of walks, the bases were loaded for Robbins. His single past a diving Hawaii Pacific shortstop scored two and then Babitt tripled for the second time this year to plate two more.

With Academy of Art now in front 6-0, junior righty Kallen Fletcher (0-6) was off to a strong start after keeping the Sea Warriors scoreless in the first two innings. On just his second hit allowed in the game, a double by HPU catcher Lannan Rice-Kashima, two runs scored though the Knights still led 6-2 by the end of the third. To that point, ART U's offense had threatened in every inning and already eight of nine Urban Knights had reached base.

“We have a potent offense that can score runs so we can put up a nine spot in a blink of an eye,” Coach Guinn said. “They showed what they can do offensively so it's just on flip side, defensively, where we need to be stronger mentally and bear down.”

Hawaii Pacific continued to chip away at the lead with another pair of runs in the fourth, but senior righty Alex Rosenthal came on to relieve Fletcher and got out of the inning. An unfortunate sequence then came in the fifth when HPU plated two unearned runs on a wild pitch and an error. Those runs would effectively tie the game, 6-6, heading into the sixth.

In the seventh, Academy of Art exploded for five runs to retake the lead, 11-6. The first five Knights to bat all reached base, culminating in junior infielder Spencer Roland's two-run single with the bases loaded. However, in the roller-coaster nature of this contest, Hawaii Pacific came back with five runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh, highlighted by a three-run triple. Through seven innings, the score was tied, 11-11.

“Both teams swung the bats really well in the first game,” Coach Guinn said. “It was a good ball game and both teams came out swinging. Being on the road is tough because the opponent always gets that last at-bat. You have to give [Hawaii Pacific] some credit though; it was back-and-forth today with both teams tying it a few times. But it was a home field advantage for them today.”

Two innings later in the bottom of the ninth, the game was decided. After a hit batsman, two singles, and a fielder's choice, the Sea Warriors would face sophomore Stefen Henderson (0-2), ART U's fourth pitcher of the afternoon. HPU designated hitter Blake Amaral skied a popup tailing away from the first base line and though Babitt made the catch in foul territory, his throw just barely missed the runner tagging up from third and the sacrifice fly effectively ended the game 12-11.

“When we went up by five and they tied it up with five, they had momentum in final inning,” Coach Guinn said. “It's like runs in basketball and they capitalized. The final out was a situation where you have the team's best hitter up and he hits a foul ball so you have to try to take the bat out of his hands. I would have absolutely made that play the way Zach did.”


Academy of Art was the first to score again in game two as a single by Robbins helped spark an opening inning rally. Babitt followed with a walk and the runners executed a double steal. Robbins would then come home on a sacrifice fly by Leite and junior infielder Kenny Rollins, Jr. added a RBI double. HPU responded, however, in their half of the first with five unearned runs that came as a result of three errors.

The Sea Warriors put up four more runs in the second inning to take a 9-2 lead. Academy of Art got one run back in the third on a RBI single by Henderson, but a five-run HPU third would create a margin of 11 runs for the home team. Hawaii Pacific then steadily grew that lead to its eventual 22-3 victory in game two.
 
On Sunday afternoon, the Urban Knights were led by Babitt and Roland. That pair combined to go 3-for-8 with five runs batted in through game one: Babitt was 1-for-3 and Roland was 2-for-5. Worley and Robbins both did well at the top of the order with their 3-for-9 first contest that included three RBIs and four runs scored. All nine Academy of Art starters reached base in the opener and seven of nine reached in the second contest. Leite and Henderson each had multi-hit games in the series conclusion: Leite was 2-for-2 with a RBI and Henderson was 2-for-2 with a RBI. ART U moves to 6-39 overall, 6-22 in PacWest play.

Highlighting the offense for HPU was infielder Chad Bolibol who went 3-for-6 on the day with a home run, five RBIs, and four runs scored. Game one's winning pitcher was Peter Ibanez (3-2), who came on to toss one relief inning and won as a result of the Sea Warriors' game-ending score. For the second contest, Sergio Contreras (3-3) earned the victory on the mound with a complete 7.0 innings pitched, three runs allowed on eight hits, and five strikeouts. Hawaii Pacific is now 26-21 overall and 20-12 in the PacWest.

With their first series on the Hawaiian Islands now complete, the Urban Knights turn their attention to a four-game stint versus Hawaii-Hilo. ART U and UHH are scheduled for a doubleheader on Tuesday, May 2, beginning at 4:00 PM HST (7:00 PM PST).