Game #5
ART U Urban Knights (1-3) vs. SSU Seawolves (1-2)
Thursday, Feb. 11, 2022 at 2 p.m.
Rohnert Park, Calif. – Seawolf Diamond
Live Stats | Live Video

Games #6 & 7
ART U Urban Knights (1-3) vs. SSU Seawolves (1-2)
Friday, Feb. 12, 2022 at 11 a.m. & 1 p.m.
Rohnert Park, Calif. – Seawolf Diamond
Live Stats | Live Video

BATS STAYING ALIVE
After scoring just three runs through the first two games of 2022, Academy of Art baseball exploded for 13 runs in a doubleheader split with Cal State East Bay, and ART U looks to carry that offensive momentum into a three-game series with Sonoma State beginning on Friday. This will be the first meeting between the two teams in nearly five years. 

FIRST PITCH
Friday's first pitch will be an afternoon matinee beginning at 2 p.m, while Saturday's twin bill will see the first pitch tossed at 11 a.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
A three-run fifth inning highlighted the 2022 Academy of Art season opener against Stanislaus State, led by a pair of hits including an RBI triple and run scored from senior shortstop Dominic Ruggiero, but it was not enough to overcome an early Stan State lead as they captured a victory in the first game of the season, 5-3. Though ART U was blanked the following time out against CSUEB, the tides turned in a doubleheader as the Knights more than quadrupled their season run total with their 13-run output on the final day of the series, highlighted by a seven-run inning that ultimately led to the first win of the year for Academy of Art. 

Recording a hit in each of the first four games of the season are redshirt senior shortstop Dominic Ruggiero and junior second baseman Adam Inouye, though Ruggiero did a little bit of everything in the opening week by ending 5-for-16 (.313) with a run scored, five RBI, a double, a triple, and a pair of stolen bases. Meanwhile, Inouye posted the highest batting average at .417 (5-for-12) with three runs, an RBI and a double, while senior first baseman Vincent Lontz was the only other Urban Knight above the .300 mark by going 4-for-13 with two runs, an RBI and a double. Freshman infielder Emil Jellinek provided a pair of RBI in a big way, as the newcomer hit the first home run of the ART U season while providing insurance during the Urban Knights' win. 

Though he would be on the hook for the loss in the season opener, senior right-hander Cannon Secrist would be credited with ART U's first win in his second start, tossing 5.0 innings while allowing a pair of earned runs and striking out five. Picking up the first save of 2022 was sophomore right-hander Dallen Turner, who worked out of a jam in the sixth before going 1-2-3 in the seventh to finish it off. Overall Turner has 3.1 innings and has allowed just one hit and three base runners in total, as he and right-handed senior Morgan Edwards are the only two Urban Knights to not allow a run this season (1.0 inning pitched). Appearing in relief against Stanislaus State was senior right-hander Collin Carriger, going 5.0 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out seven, a mark he reached just twice last season.

SEE YA LATER, SEAWOLVES
Sonoma State enters the series at 1-2 after a series loss to PacWest member Holy Names, dropping the first two games of the season before using a four-run first inning to steal a win in seven innings. Josh Lopez enters batting .400 (2-for-5) with a solo home run while Brandon Herter has been more consistent at .308 (4-for-13), scoring a pair of runs with a double and five total bases. The pitcher of record in the series finale victory over HNU was Jason Doktorczyk, as he is 1-0 on the year in 4.0 innings with three hits allowed and seven strikeouts, while numerous pitchers have made a scoreless appearance. Sonoma State leads the all-time series with Academy of Art by a 5-3 margin, but ART U has won three of the past four including the last meeting on Feb. 28, 2017. 

13 RUNS ON THE DAY LEADS TO DOUBLEHEADER SPLIT FOR ART U
After Academy of Art baseball had a slow offensive start to the series with Cal State East Bay, things turned around on the final day of the series with a total of 13 runs in Saturday's doubleheader, ultimately leading to a split as the Pioneers grabbed game one 6-4 while ART U took the series finale, 9-5 (seven innings).   

ON DECK
It's the final tuneup before the first conference opponent, as the Urban Knights meet with PacWest foe Holy Names in a non-conference three-game series beginning on Feb. 18.