Game #9
ART U Urban Knights (3-5) vs. Saint Martin's Saints (2-2)
Friday, Feb. 14, 2020 at 7 p.m.
Alameda, Calif. – College of Alameda
Live Stats and Video

Game #10 & 11
ART U Urban Knights (3-5) vs. Saint Martin's Saints (2-2)
Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 at noon & 3 p.m.
Oakland, Calif. – Laney College
Live Stats and Video

Game #12
ART U Urban Knights (3-5) vs. Saint Martin's Saints (2-2)
Sunday, Feb. 16, 2020 at noon
Oakland, Calif. – Laney College
Live Stats and Video

FINDING A GROOVE
The Urban Knights find themselves at 3-5 in the early portions of the 2020 campaign, coming off of a non-conference series loss against Holy Names. It was a positive series despite the results, with the pitching taking center stage last Sunday in the doubleheader. ART U is hoping to make their bats come alive like in the season-opening series against Central Washington in which they scored a combined 33 runs when they face off against GNAC member Saint Martin's beginning on Friday.    

FIRST PITCH
A night game will start the series, with first pitch at 7p.m. on Friday, while days two and three will have a first pitch of noon. Saturday will be the doubleheader, with part two of the twinbill set for 3 p.m. Remember to follow @ARTU_Knights via the athletics app (Apple App Store, Google Play Store) and on Twitter & Instagram as well as "Like" the Urban Knights on Facebook for score updates, videos, and recaps.

KNIGHT WATCH
In three of the four games against Holy Names, the Urban Knights got on the scoreboard first, but were unable to contain the Hawks. A three-run home run is what sank ART U in game one in a 5-1 loss, and a four-run lead disappeared after two runs in the sixth and four in the seventh by the Hawks as they came back to win game two 9-4. Junior pitcher Ryan Skillman became just the ninth pitcher in ART U history to go the distance, the first since Ben Kaser on April 27, 2018, as he tossed a gem and earned the win for the Urban Knights, 3-2. In game four, senior pitcher Matthew Sanchez also went out and gave the Urban Knights a chance to win with eight innings and only one unearned run allowed, but it was HNU that walked away with a 4-2 win in 10 innings.
 
At the plate, sophomore catcher Ryan Gamboa collected a hit in all four games, moving his hitting streak to five games, as he went a combined 7-for-16 (.438) with four RBIs and one run scored. His best day came in game four, when he was 3-for-5 with a double and two of his RBIs. Junior outfielder Ty Conrad collected a hit in all four games in his first series with ART U, going 4-for-16 (.250) with two RBIs and one run scored. 
 
The hot series has pushed Gamboa's average up even further, as he is hitting .484 with three doubles and eight RBIs, both of which lead the team (RBIs are tied with senior shortstop Justin Summers). He has a whopping OPS of 1.206, thanks in part to reaching base in over half of his at-bats with a .529 OBP. Currently, Gamboa leads the team in total bases with 21, having started all eight games this year. Three other Urban Knights are all hitting above .300, including junior outfielder Noah Daubin (.333), senior infielder Thomas Delgadillo (.321), and Summers (.304). Only two Urban Knights have double-digit hits in Gamboa and junior first baseman Vincent Lontz, as Lontz is 10-for-34 (.294) with a .438 OBP. On the hill, juniors Cannon Secrist, Skillman and Daubin have all recorded victories, while Secrist leads the team in ERA with a 1.93 ERA (minimum five innings pitched). Senior pitcher Galen Manhard leads the team in strikeouts with 17, while Sanchez and junior pitcher Collin Carriger each have 13. 
 
STOPPING SAINT MARTIN'S
Saint Martin's has played just one series so far this year, as they split their first four games with Holy Names. It was a pair of losses in games one and two before the Saints came back to win games three and four, and they own a 1-1 record in one-run games. The last win was an 8-7 victory, scoring three runs in the top of the fifth inning to cap off the comeback. Aaron Renaud is batting .462, collecting six hits in 13 at-bats with a pair of doubles and a pair of RBIs. Ryne Oshiro is just .333, but has recorded five hits in 15 at-bats with a team-leading four RBIs. The two wins belong to Jacob Woodall and Harrison Goebel, with Woodall not allowing a run in three innings pitched while Goebel has totaled a 1.69 ERA in 5.1 innings. Goebel is also the strikeout leader with seven. 

OUTSTANDING PITCHING RESULTS IN DOUBLEHEADER SPLIT FOR ART U
The Academy of Art baseball team received two excellent starting pitching efforts from junior Ryan Skillman and senior Matthew Sanchez, but received different results in a doubleheader split with Holy Names on Sunday. Each starter turned in a quality start for the Urban Knights (3-5), with Skillman getting the win against the Hawks (8-5) in game one with a complete game effort. He allowed two runs, only one earned, on four hits with six strikeouts and six walks, both season highs. Sanchez followed with a dominant 8.0+ inning start of his own, giving up just one unearned run while striking out seven and walking two in what was originally slated to be a seven-inning game but would wind up lasting 10.