Nampa, ID – Amid more rainy weather and mid to low 30 degree temperatures, the Urban Knights fought hard, but dropped a pair of games to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday's series conclusion at Elmore Vail Field. The West Region's #7 team and Academy of Art both went to work offensively in game one, though NNU took the 23-9 victory. In the second game, ART U wound up falling 14-2 despite yet another late-game rally. In the opening contest, senior outfielder Ryan Worley tied his career high of four runs batted in and finished the day 4-for-10 with five RBIs, two doubles, and two runs scored.

“[Northwest Nazarene] put the ball in play on the ground a lot and we just made some mistakes,” Head Coach Brian Guinn said. “They did the fundamental things correctly and played hard.”

Neither teams' offenses were dormant in the opener as they combined to score 19 runs in the first four innings. After NNU took a 10-0 lead in the first, sophomore infielder Stefen Henderson started the second with a double and freshman infielder Wade Broadstreet hit a sacrifice fly to put ART U on the board. The Knights rallied for two more in the fourth when the bases were loaded on a pair of singles and a walk to junior outfielder Niko Leite. Senior outfielder Ryan Worley then came through with a two-run single to start a streak of three consecutive innings in which Academy of Art scored.

“We're going to hit,” Coach Guinn said. “We have guys who put pressure on teams with their speed and battle at plate. We just have to get more consistent defensively and on the mound and that's the major difference between us and a team like NNU.”

Despite the early Crusader advantage, ART U continued to push runs across with an opportunity created by senior infielder Darnell Quinney in the fifth. He walked and stole his fourth base of the season to set up junior infielder Andy Caniezo for a RBI double. Worley, who was among the PacWest leaders in doubles last season, hit his fifth double of the season to start the Knights' sixth. The senior outfielder would later come home on a RBI single by Quinney and the scoreboard now read 18-5 in favor of NNU.

“It's just a matter of time before [Ryan] gets going,” Coach Guinn said. “We were fortunate today that even with the cold weather, he was able to get some balls to fall for him. As a group, we battled to the end and that's a positive thing. We will overcome our mistakes.”

The late innings were highlighted another ART U score in the eighth and a three-run surge in the ninth. Academy of Art University's ninth inning began with a double by Broadstreet and a walk to senior outfielder Johnathan Robbins. The pair then executed a double steal, putting both in scoring position for Worley. Worley's third hit of the afternoon helped him tie his career-high of four RBIs after driving in both teammates. Freshman catcher James Singzon added a RBI hit of his own before Northwest Nazarene prevailed 23-9.


In the series finale, the Crusaders took a 7-0 lead after the first three innings, but the Knights would not give up. NNU steadily grew its advantage to a 14-0 score heading into the final frame with a shutout in mind. Those plans were countered when Academy of Art put up two runs in the seventh.

Junior infielder Jared DePatto worked a walk after six pitches and found himself in scoring position after a single by Broadstreet. Later in the inning, DePatto would touch home plate from third on a passed ball and then Worley struck again. His double brought Leite around and though the Knights fell 14-2 in the end, they had still managed to score in the ninth inning of each of the four games against NNU.

“The kids believe they can put up a lot of runs in any one inning because they've done it before,” Coach Guinn said. “In this game, anything can happen so they just keep battling.”

The ART U offensive strength was demonstrated by four different Urban Knights having multi-hit games in the opening contest. Worley, one of the four, also finished game one with four RBIs to tie the mark he set against Hawaii-Hilo last year. The senior now has a double in each of his last three contests as well. Robbins was able to get on base repeatedly to make things happen, going 4-for-6 with two runs scored and two stolen bases. Much of the middle of the Knights lineup added RBIs with Henderson and Quinney combining for a 4-for-10 game one which included two RBIs, two runs scored, a double, and a steal. Academy of Art concludes this non-conference series with a 3-24 overall record and is 3-13 in PacWest Conference play.

Outfielder Parker Logan and infielder Cameron Louie had standout offensive games for NNU on the day, combining to go 8-for-14 with eight RBIs, eight runs scored, and four steals. Despite walking seven Knights in his outing, Zeb Sneed (2-3) picked up the win in game one with four runs allowed on five hits and seven strikeouts. Sean McDonald (1-0) did not allow an earned run in the series finale and earned the victory after 5.0 innings pitched with two strikeouts. The Crusaders are now 21-7 overall.

ART U will next return home for 12 consecutive games, beginning with a five-part series against Hawaii-Hilo on Mar. 30 that resumes PacWest Conference play.