SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – In ART U baseball's first-ever matchup with Biola University, the Eagles did most of their offensive damage off of two home runs, taking the series opener from the Urban Knights by the score of 6-1.
 
Senior right-hander Luke Lacy took to the mound for his seventh start of the season on Friday morning and impressed throughout the opening four innings. During that time, Biola only scored in the first after a pair of hits plated a run with one out. Lacy did not allow a hit over the next two innings, but the Eagles managed to tack on four more runs in the fourth when Andy Van Antwerp hit a grand slam to give BU a 5-0 lead.
 
Junior righty Mason Verhees took over at the end of the inning and carried ART U the rest of the way. The San Diego native was lights out in his 4.1 innings pitched, striking out six and allowing just two hits and one earned run (a solo home run in the sixth).
 
The Urban Knights responded in the eighth inning with a two out rally which began with an infield single from junior outfielder Taj Dawson. Four pitches later, senior outfielder Alex Fernandez drove in Dawson with his second hit of the day, a career-first triple to cut ART U's deficit to 6-1. In the ninth inning, the Knights put a runner in scoring position as senior Brennan Mauchline walked in a pinch-hit appearance and later advanced on a wild pitch. However, senior Mike Maleski was unable to bring Mauchline home and Academy of Art fell 6-1.
 
Both teams will return to The Master's University on Saturday afternoon when ART U will look to even the series with a 3:30 p.m. first pitch.