Box Score

Oakland, CA – Freshman right-handed pitcher Nick Giotta (1-3) threw a gem Monday night to help the Academy of Art University baseball team pick up a 2-1 Pacific West Conference win over Hawaii Pacific at Laney College. Then, in a clutch relief role, junior righty Brandon Kistler came on to notch the first save of his career with no runs allowed in the final 1.1 innings of the game. A 1-0 HPU advantage for much of the early innings in a duel of starting pitchers, the momentum shifted to the Urban Knights with a two-run rally in the seventh.

“Nick threw strikes today,” Head Coach Brian Guinn said. “He went seven and two thirds innings on the mound and he really was able to keep the ball down. He did what he had to do with getting key ground balls and fly balls. Overall, he did a good job. And Brandon was like Giotta in that he threw strikes and good things happen when you come in and do that. He stayed around the plate and made them swing at his pitches rather than theirs.”

Following a scoreless first inning, the Sea Warriors struck first in the second when infielder Wade Tamaru reached on an error and then scored on a single by catcher Lanan Rice-Kashima. It would be turn out to be HPU's lone run of the ballgame and came in unearned fashion.

Giotta began to roll after finishing off Hawaii Pacific's second inning with a strikeout. He impressively retired 12 of his next 13 batters faced while key defensive plays kept him going in order. Across the second through eighth innings, Giotta proceeded to shut down the HPU offense with four of his six strikeouts in that span. He highlighted the stretch with a five-pitch fifth and a pair of batters fanned in the sixth.

"It was all about relaxing and staying in the zone," Giotta said. "I was keeping the ball down and I think that was really the key to my good outing today."

The Knights freshman starter allowed a single in the fourth, but freshman catcher James Singzon erased the base runner by catching him stealing and then another single was wiped away in the seventh when senior outfielder Johnathan Robbins threw the runner out at second on the play.

“It was a game we needed,” Coach Guinn said. “It helps keep us alive in conference and we really had some good defensive plays tonight. Wade had some great pickups at first, Johnathan had a key assist, and James also threw a guy out trying to steal so those were key plays for us. We made the routine ones; all we have to do is catch the ball and throw strikes and we'll be in every game.”

In the seventh inning, ART U's offense was ignited after senior outfielder Ryan Worley legged out a bunt single and again used his speed to take third on a failed pickoff attempt by the HPU pitcher. Senior infielder Darnell Quinney then brought Worley home on a double which tied the game, 1-1. Academy of Art was not through just yet though as sophomore infielder Stefen Henderson followed with a single to plate Quinney and put the Urban Knights ahead.

“Every game we're just playing with that 'never say die' mindset,” Coach Guinn said. “Darnell had a key hit and then Stefen had another key hit to drive in that go-ahead run. The kids believe they can score runs at any time. They've continued to prove that and they're just going to keep battling throughout every game.”

With the Knights now clutching a 2-1 advantage, Kistler emerged from the bullpen as the difference in the final 1.1 innings. He entered the game in the eighth and got an important groundout with the bases loaded to start his relief effort. In the ninth inning, Kistler was faced another jam after an error allowed a runner to eventually reach third base with two outs. But the junior righty was up to the challenge and got the final HPU batter to pop out, effectively preserving the 2-1 victory for Giotta and Academy of Art.

"It felt good to get that first NCAA victory as a freshman and hopefully it will just build up from here," Giotta said. "The defense had a great game also. They played with all their heart and when we play well defensively, it just shows we're a very good team."

Quinney and Henderson each went 1-3 with a RBI in the contest. Quinney had a clutch RBI double and Henderson drove in one on a single during the Knights' late rally. Quinney and junior infielder Zach Babitt each scored a run in the contest. On the mound, Giotta went 7.2 innings without allowing an earned run while fanning a season-high six batters. Kistler backed up his teammate with 1.1 innings of scoreless ball to earn ART U's second save of the year. The victory lifts Academy of Art to 3-18 overall, 3-12 in PacWest competition

With an offense limited to five hits, the Sea Warriors had one RBI knock from Rice-Kashima. Taking the loss on Monday was Toby Inouye (4-2) who pitched a complete 8.0 innings with two runs allowed on four hits to go with four strikeouts. Hawaii Pacific falls to 11-14 overall, 9-6 in the PacWest.

Academy of Art University will wrap up its series against Hawaii Pacific tomorrow, Tuesday, Mar. 22. At 12:00 PM, the teams are scheduled to start the fourth and final PacWest Conference contest at Laney College. ART U and HPU will then follow with a non-conference game to conclude this five-part series.