LA MIRADA, Calif. – In both parts of Sunday's twin bill Academy of Art baseball held leads over Biola, spurred on by a pair of home runs on the day, but twice BU was able to put together multiple run-scoring innings late as they went on to take Sunday's Pacific West Conference doubleheader by finals of 6-2 and 11-8 (7 innings) for the series win. 

A pair of RBI base knocks in the fifth inning of game one gave the Urban Knights (10-16, 3-9 PacWest) their first lead of the day, but one that was short lived as the Eagles (12-17, 6-6 PacWest) scored in each of their next four turns at the dish en route to the win. Following in the shortened second game, freshman shortstop Gabe Henderson started the game with a bang thanks to a leadoff homer for his first of the season, and even received another solo blast two innings later from redshirt sophomore designated hitter Patrick Morgan. However, BU was once again able to put together four consecutive innings where they scored a run before, helping them outlast a late Academy of Art comeback attempt as they scored four runs in the final two innings. 

GAME ONE – BU 6, ART U 2
Neither team reached the scoreboard despite runners for ART U in each of the first two innings, including a pair on that were eventually stranded in the second, as well as a pair of runners in scoring position during the home half of the second for Biola. While ART U threatened for the third straight inning thanks to a double from graduate student outfielder Landon Levine putting him and senior outfielder Hayato Niki (who reached when he was hit by a pitch) in scoring position, they were unable to capitalize which left the door open for the Eagles. Starting the inning with a walk and a single, a pair of groundouts continued to advance the runners with the second earning an RBI in the process. 
 
After both teams were retired quickly in the fourth, the Knights finally broke through in the top of the fifth when four straight two-out hits resulted in a pair of runs. Starting with a single by Niki, graduate student outfielder Travis Turney crushed his second double of the game into center field to score Niki, and Turney scored in the subsequent at-bat thanks to an RBI single up the middle from Levine. 
 
The lead was short lived, as Biola scored in four consecutive innings with a pair of runs in the fifth while adding an additional run in the sixth through the eighth innings. Both runs scored on one swing in the fifth thanks to a two-run homer from Wyatt Duncan, and BU added two more in the following innings with solos shot from Noah Ruiz in the sixth and AJ Ortiz in the seventh. For the final run, three singles and an error set the stage for an RBI groundout that pushed the score to 6-2. 
 
Biola nearly split the contest in half from the mound, with starter Lucas Bixby going just 5.0 innings while allowing two earned runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and no walks, earning his third win of the season. Meanwhile, Jake Anderson picked up his second save with four scoreless innings and just two hits allowed while punching out four. Taking the loss was graduate student right-hander Cannon Secrist, who logged 7.0 innings while striking out seven and walking one. 
 
It was a big game at the dish for Turney, who ended the game 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles (now with a team-high nine on the season) to go with a run scored and driven in. Meanwhile, redshirt junior catcher Liam Rizzo had the only other multi-hit game as he was 2-for-4, and a total of five other Urban Knights had a hit including a double in the only at-bat from redshirt sophomore Patrick Morgan. 
 
GAME TWO – BU 11, ART U 8 (7 INNINGS)
Henderson hammered the 1-0 offering he saw for a leadoff bomb to center field, quickly staking a 1-0 lead for the Knights. While Biola answered with a run on a wild pitch in the home half of the inning, ART U kept the pedal down as they regained the lead when Henderson drove in his second run of the game, this time on a fielder's choice. In the third ART U pushed another pair across, the first coming from on a solo blast from Morgan that also went over the center field fence while a Levine single and a double down the right field line from sophomore third baseman Emil Jellinek combined to make the game 4-1, with Jellinek earning the RBI. 

Again the lead did not last long, with Biola putting up a four-spot in the home half of the third with the first scoring on a sacrifice fly before four straight singles resulted in the score moving to a 5-4 Eagles advantage. BU continued to grow the lead in the fourth thanks to a hit by pitch and stolen base turned into an RBI single the following at-bat, while AJ Ortiz went deep later in the frame with a two-run blast to make the game 8-4. 

An RBI double added one more to the Biola lead in the fifth before ART U was able to answer in the away half of the sixth, using three straight singles from sophomore second baseman Chris Fung, Henderson and Niki combined with a BU error resulted in a run. Two batters later after a walk loaded the bases, Rizzo picked up his only RBI of the day on a groundout to bring the Knights within three. 

Biola got both runs back in the home half of the frame, loading the bases which set the stage for an RBI single and RBI hit by pitch that once again gave them an advantage of five runs. Keeping the fight alive until the last out, a walk to Fung before back-to-back doubles from Henderson and Niki made the score 11-8, until finally the Eagles shut the door to preserve the win. 

Both teams turned to the bullpen early in the contest, with the second appearing pitcher for both teams as the ones to factor into the decision. Picking up his first win of the season was Cody Carson for Biola, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and striking out five, while junior righty Fernando Dueñas was charged with the loss to bring his record to 2-2. 

Henderson was able to tie the ART U single-game record for hits by going 4-for-5, just the second ART U four-hit game of the season, with two going for extra bases thanks to his double and homer while scoring three times and driving two in. Meanwhile, Niki picked up his team-leading ninth multi-hit game of the season after he went 3-for-5 with three runs driven in and a double, and both Levine and Jellinek were each 2-for-4 with Levine scoring twice while Jellinek drove one in. 

The road stretch for Academy of Art continues next week as the Knights return to Southern California to battle against Concordia in a four-game PacWest series beginning on Friday, Mar. 31 at 2 p.m.