Box Score #1
Box Score #2

Nampa, ID – Academy of Art University baseball battled Northwest Nazarene, the #7 team in the West Region, through sleet and two rain delays at Elmore Vail Field on Friday, with the Crusaders winning both games of a doubleheader. All four of the Urban Knight runs came in the final two innings of game one, but NNU hung on for an 11-4 victory. Then a pair of three-run Crusader rallies in the second contest was the difference in their 8-3 win. Junior infielder Zach Babitt stayed hot, going 3-for-7 with his first home run of the year, three runs batted in, and two runs scored.

“It was cold and with the sleet, it was definitely a different experience for the kids,” Head Coach Brian Guinn said. “But that's what baseball is about during this time of year.”

The one-run lead Northwest Nazarene gained in the second inning of the opener held up through the first four innings as both starting pitchers were in a groove early. ART U freshman righty Wade Broadstreet (0-4) was tagged with the first run, but proceeded to strike out the final two batters of that second inning. Despite a brief rain delay initially and later a 41-minute rain delay, Broadstreet was able to make it through nearly 5.0 innings with only one earned run charged to his name.

Broadstreet would not allow a base runner in the fourth and while the Knights had a scoring opportunity after a double by senior Alex Rosenthal in the fifth, NNU came back with three runs in their fifth to take a 4-0 advantage. Academy of Art, however, did not give up. The visitors rallied to score two runs in the seventh when Babitt started with a bunt single and back-to-back singles by sophomore infielder Stefen Henderson and Rosenthal produced the first. Freshman James Singzon then hit a sacrifice fly to score Henderson and make the contest 5-2 with the Knights now within striking distance.

Late in the game, NNU plated six runs in the seventh to pull away. The Crusaders would go on to win the opener 11-4, but not before Babitt blasted his first home run of the season, a solo shot to right field, in the eighth and Singzon added a RBI groundout in the ninth.


Though game two started off with Northwest Nazarene scoring a run in the first inning, Academy of Art fought back in the third. The Knights' rally featured a single by senior outfielder Ryan Worley to set up a runners-on-the-corners situation for Singzon. With a RBI single to centerfield, Singzon would bring home his teammate, junior outfielder Niko Leite, to tie the ballgame, 1-1.

“As the number two hitter, James was set up in some good situations and he's having good at-bats as well,” Coach Guinn said.

NNU put up three runs in the bottom of that third inning, but ART U again answered by getting one back in the fifth. After Worley had opened with his fourth double of the year, Singzon got him to third on a single, and then Babitt executed a dramatic suicide squeeze which effectively scored Worley on a bunt hit. The play was yet another demonstration of the Urban Knights' speed this season.

To that point, junior lefty Zach Mexicano (2-5) had struck out three Crusaders and he would get his fourth to start the fifth inning. Northwest Nazarene, however, would capitalize on a fielding error to get three more runs on the board in its bottom of the fifth. Down by six, Academy of Art proceeded to load the bases with two singles and a walk to open up the seventh. Babitt picked up a RBI on a groundout, but NNU managed to hold off a late comeback and win 8-3 in the end.

“Zach is playing well,” Coach Guinn said. “He seems to be focused and is having good at-bats no matter what the weather is and what time of day. He's keeping his focus.”

Babitt, a PacWest Weekly Top 10 recipient the past two weeks in a row, hit his first home run in an Urban Knights uniform and remained on fire offensively with a 3-for-7 day which included three runs batted in and two runs scored. With starts in both contests, Singzon finished 2-for-6 with three RBIs.  Worley also had a strong second game, going 3-for-4 with a double and one run scored. Broadstreet took the loss in the opening contest though he pitched well, allowing only one earned run in 4.2 innings with two strikeouts. Mexicano pitched 4.2 innings of game two with four strikeouts despite the loss. Following the opening day of this series, ART U at 3-22 overall and remains 3-13 in the PacWest Conference thus far.

Seven different Crusaders had two hits in the opener and the day's offense was led by outfielder Sean McDonald who finished the doubleheader 3-for-6 with a home run, two RBIs, two runs scored, and a stolen base. In game one, J.T. Brodrick (5-1) picked up the win with an 8.0-inning, seven-strikeout effort and two earned runs allowed. Taking home the victory in the second contest, reliever Patrick Patterson (1-0) surrendered two earned runs on six hits over 3.0 innings with three strikeouts. Northwest Nazarene improves to 19-7 overall.

Academy of Art and NNU continue their series with another doubleheader tomorrow, Mar. 26. First pitch of game one is scheduled to be thrown at 12:00 PM MDT (11:00 AM PST) at Elmore Vail Field.