Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Oakland, CA -- The Academy of Art University baseball team continued a trend that gave a lot of indications both positive and negative for the early 2013 season in Saturday's doubleheader against #7 Chico State. Both games saw the Urban Knights stay close to the Wildcats, but big innings late proved to be too much to overcome as Chico State won both games of the twinbill.

"We're definitely sticking around a good Chico State team," said head coach Brian Guinn. "We're staying close, but we're just setting them up at bad times and they're capitalizing on our mistakes."

Junior Aaron Garabedian started the first game for the Urban Knights and did his best Houdini impression against the Wildcats offense in the early going. Chico State loaded the bases on two hit batsmen and an error, but Garabedian got Blake Gibbs to strike out and then started a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning. The Wildcats got another runner in scoring position in the second, but Garabedian once again got a strikeout and a flyout to keep the game scoreless.

In the third inning, Chico was back at it, getting two singles and a walk to load the bases with no outs. Blake Gibbs, the Wildcats' homerun leader from a year ago, hit one deep to center field, but Joey Marchini made a leaping catch at the wall to save extra bases, and Gibbs had to settle for a sacrifice fly. Pierson Jeremiah made it worse for the Wildcats, as he tagged up but was then thrown out for going too far around third base. An RBI double by Austin Prott gave Chico a 2-0 lead, but considering the circumstances, Garabedian got off easy.

The Knights got two hits in the third and another in the fourth, but were unable to push anything across against Chico starter Sean Martin. But when Martin (1-0) left the game for Morgan Yee, the Knights took advantage. Cody Edmunds walked to lead off, advancing to second on a high chopper by Lyle "Kalani" Brackenridge. Edmunds then advanced to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a single from Kevin Decker to right field. Ryan Ramirez followed with a single, forcing Yee out of the game, but the Knights were unable to get any more than that, ending the inning still trailing 2-1.

Garabedian (0-2) struck out Prott and catcher Ben Manlove to start the sixth and then gave it up for the bullpen. Samm McAlear finished off the inning, and the Knights got their second best chance at scoring in the bottom half. Stefen Henderson hit a one-out double, and then Chris Holmes had an infield hit to put runners at the corners with one out. But Holmes was picked off at first and Marchini struck out to end the push with the tying run still at third.

McAlear and Nick Giotta combined for a scoreless seventh inning, but then in the eighth Chico State got back on the board. Two straight hits put runners on with no outs, and then Roger Boulden reached on an error, with Prott scoring on the play. Jordan Beck then hit a sacrifice fly to left, which scored Manlove from third for two unearned runs before Giotta struck out Kenny Corona to end it.

Myles Babitt pitched the ninth for the Knights, getting two quick outs before walking Myles Dempsey and hitting two more batters to load the bases. With one left to get out of the inning, Manlove hit a long fly ball to left field, driving in all three runs before Babitt got Boulden to fly out to end the inning.

That would be the final score, as the Knights stayed close with the Wildcats all game before Chico State scored five unanswered in the eighth and ninth to seal the deal.


Game Two was also a close game until the end, as Nicholas Boyett made his first collegiate start in the nightcap. The Wildcats got an early run, again with a two-out rally. Prott doubled and Gibbs was hit by a pitch, leading to a single by Jake Bailey that scored Prott but saw Gibbs get thrown out at the plate on a heads-up play by Boyett.

That would prove to be all the Wildcats needed with Troy Neiman on the mound, as he combined with Chris Rodriguez for a no-hitter against the Urban Knights. Academy of Art had three base runners, one on and error and two on errant strikeouts, but struck out 11 times against the Chico tandem in the loss. Boyett pitched well, giving up three runs and seven hits through the first six innings, but tired out in the seventh, eventually giving up nine runs (six earned) on nine hits. Kai Fink pitched the last two outs of the seventh, having to work around an error and giving up four runs (one earned) of his own in the loss.

The Urban Knights and Wildcats will conclude the series on Sunday. First pitch is at 12:00 PM at Laney College.