Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

Oakland, CA -- Facing two of the top pitchers in the conference on Friday night, the Academy of our baseball team struggled to get runs across against the two starters from Fresno Pacific University. The Urban Knights came in  riding the momentum of a strong weekend, but dropped both ends of a doubleheader against the Sunbirds, falling 16-4 in the opener and 4-0 in the nightcap. 

Facing FPU's J.D. Salles  (4-5) in the opening game, the Knights went down in order in the first four innings, while the Sunbirds touched up ART U starter Maclane Brady (1-2) for seven hits and six runs in the first four innings. Only two of those runs were earned, however, as Fresno Pacific capitalized on two errors in the fourth inning to score three runs, including a scary moment for the Knights when a collision between second baseman Kalani Brackenridge and right fielder Daniel Robertson allowed a run to score. Brackenridge would later leave the game but return for the night game.

In the fifth, the Knights pitching staff got a little wild, as Brady gave up a leadoff single before yielding to the bullpen. But Brandon Poulson only lasted a third of an inning, walking three and giving up five earned runs. Paul Durbak came in after him and finished off the fifth, but not before nine runs had crossed the plate in the inning on three hits and three errors. The Knights went down in the fifth and after two runs scored in the sixth against Durbak, it was a 16-0 game, so the Knights went back to the pen and brought in Yoshi Uemura. 

Uemura would finish the game without allowing a run, working out of two separate bases-loaded jams for the Knights. They would break up Salles' no-hitter in the sixth inning, as Daniel Robertson beat out a bunt single. Cody Edmunds was then hit by a pitch, and Joseph Marchini singled to third base to load the bases, but the Knights couldn't score. They would get four runs the next inning against Jeff Bench, who gave up a single, and three walks before a wild pitch and a single from Greg Ivory made it a four-run inning. But that was all the Knights would get, as FPU got scoreless innings from Anthony Cantu and Kellen Hackett to end the game. 


The Knights got another solid outing in the second game, which was much more of a duel than the first. After retiring the side on six pitches in the opening inning, Josh Lopez (2-4) gave up a double and then a homer John Koretoff to put FPU up 2-0. The Sunbirds got another two runs in the third inning on a ground ball that was just under the glove of Lopez to make it 4-0, but that was all Lopez would give up.

Unfortunately for Academy of Art, Wilson Ashford (5-1) wasn't giving up any runs either, as he only allowed one hit and two baserunners over seven innings, striking out 10 Urban Knights over seven shutout innings. Lopez would settle in, only allowing one hit and leaving two baserunners after the third. The Knights would have their best chance to score in the seventh, when Marchini walked and went to second on a balk, eventually getting over to third on a failed pickoff by the catcher, but Daniel Skinner struck out swinging to end the game. 

The two teams will play again on Saturday at 2:00 PM, while the Knights will honor their five seniors with a ceremony in between the two games of the doubleheader.