Box Score

Oakland, CA - For the second day in a row, one big inning proved to the difference in the game for the Urban Knights baseball team. Cal Baptist put up eight runs in the second inning, and that held up for the rest of the game as the Lancers came away with a 12-1 victory.

The Lancers struck first against Knights starter Nate Gercken, scoring two runs in the top of the first after two errors by ART U. runs in the top of the first. Cole Bullard got a one-out single, advancing to third base on an error by left-fielder Michael Reyes, who was a late replacement for Myles Babitt. Both Bullard and Odom scored, but both runs were unearned.

Cal Baptist then scored eight runs in the second inning off of Gercken, though only four were earned, as the Knights made another miscue in the field. The Lancers sent 14 batters to the plate in the inning, but Gercken got Bullard to strike out to end the inning with the bases loaded.

The big right-hander from Pinole actually ended with a solid final line, unearned runs aside. Gercken (0-4) finished with 4.2 innings pitched, and struck out five while only allowing five earned runs. He did give up 14 hits, but the walks (3) were down, which was an encouraging sign.

"I thought both pitchers threw well today," said head coach Brian Guinn. "We just didn't play defense behind them. A lot of those runs were unearned, and if we play defense, it's a whole different ballgame."

The Knights got their lone run of the game in the fourth inning, when Niko Leite led off with a walk. He then took second on a balk by Lancers pitcher Jon Bengard, and after a groundout by Kenny Rollins, Jr. moved him over, he scored on a loud double by Stefen Henderson to get the Urban Knights on the board. Bengard (5-0) went seven strong for CBU striking out 10 on the way to the victory.

The Knights pitchers really settled down after the big inning, and after they used eight pitchers in nine innings last night and still have a double-header to play on Saturday, head coach Brian Guinn needed quality innings. After Gercken was pulled in the fifth, having thrown 111 pitches, Guinn went to lefty Yoshi Uemura, who had struggled with his command this year.

But this time out, Uemura was a different pitcher. The freshman from Albany High School went 4.1 innings, striking out seven and only walking three, allowing just one run on a sacrifice fly in the eighth. Even though the wild thing inside him flared up at times, Uemura reared back and shut down the Lancers as the game went on.

"Yoshi came in as a freshman, and got the opportunity out there that a lot of Division II freshmen don't have," said Guinn. "He has struggled a little bit, but I think tonight he showed what he's capable of and what we can expect from him in the future."

The Knights managed three hits off the Lancers pitching, with Leite, Henderson, and Johnathan Robbins getting base knocks. ART U did draw four walks, including the one that led to Leite scoring the run in the fourth.

Both teams will meet in a seven-and-seven doubleheader on Saturday, with the first pitch of game one coming at 10:00 AM.