GAME #7 & #8
Northwest Nazarene (4-5) at Academy of Art (1-5)
Friday, Feb. 20, 2015 – 4 p.m. & 7 p.m. PST
Oakland, Calif. – Laney College
LIVE STATS
 
GAME #9 & #10
Northwest Nazarene (4-5) at Academy of Art (1-5)
Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 – 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. PST
Hayward, Calif. – Pioneer Field
LIVE STATS
 
SAN FRANCISCO — After finding its offensive swing last week, the non-conference preseason schedule continues this week for the Academy of Art University baseball team when it hosts Northwest Nazarene University of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in a four-game series beginning Friday.
 
Back-to-back doubleheaders highlight the two-day, four-game series. It begins Friday in Oakland at Laney College with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday the series moves to Hayward and Cal State East Bay, where ART U (1-5) will host the Crusaders (4-5) in another doubleheader beginning at 11 a.m. Both doubleheaders will be nine-inning/seven inning format.
 
Last week the Urban Knights played a four-game series in Hayward versus Cal State East Bay, picking up their first win of the year Saturday and scoring 12 runs on 27 hits over the weekend.
 
ABOUT NORTHWEST NAZARENE
The Crusaders (4-5) make their second extended road trip of the early season after traveling to Hawaii last week for a five-game series at Hawaii Pacific. NNU took two of the five games in dominating fashion and kept it close in two other games. This weekend's series will be the Crusaders' last in 2015 played south of Oregon, as their GNAC schedule begins March 6.
 
NNU features seven players hitting better than .320 through the team's first nine games. The Crusaders are outhitting opponents .294 to .270 and outslugging them .419 to .355. Kyle Thompson leads the way offensively with a .412 average, five doubles and seven RBIs. Pitching has been a trouble spot for NNU, as relief pitchers own three of the team's five losses and the staff ERA is 5.11. Jake Reppert has been the strongest early on in two starts, posting a 1-0 record and 1.38 ERA with a complete game shutout to boot.
 
GETTING IT DONE AT THE TOP
Junior center fielder Joseph Marchini has been doing what's expected of him so far as the Urban Knights' leadoff batter – reaching base. Marchini has reached in all six of the Knights' first six games. Most recently he went 5-for-8 with a run scored in the final two games of the Cal State East Bay series. As the No. 1 batter in the lineup (four games), Marchini is batting .375 with a .444 on-base percentage.
 
STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM…
Junior second baseman Cody Edmunds has also been taking care of business from the bottom of the order. In six games as the No. 9 hitter, Edmunds is hitting a team-best .313 and is tied for the team lead with three runs scored. Edmunds has reached base in five straight games since the second game of the season-opening doubleheader on Feb. 2 versus Cal State Stanislaus. He also owns the team's longest hitting streak this season at four games from Feb. 2-14.
 
DANGEROUS RELIEF DUO
The underclassmen combo of sophomore Alexander Kuisel and freshman Kevin Herron has provided important shut-down relief this season for Academy of Art. In six appearances the duo has posted a combined 1.98 ERA, limiting opponents to just three earned runs. The pair carries a 1.39 WHIP (walks + hits per inning pitched) in 13 2/3 combined innings thrown.