HONOLULU – Offense reigned supreme in Saturday's doubleheader sweep of Hawaii Pacific (12-14, 2-12 PacWest), as Academy of Art (11-14, 7-5 PacWest) took their first series of the season off of 17 combined runs.
 
GAME ONE:
 
It was a back-and-forth type of game that featured scoring in six of the nine innings. The Urban Knights managed to strike first in the top of the second after a double by junior outfielder Evan Ray set up a groundout by sophomore Robert "Gio" Villanueva.The play knocked in Ray and gave ART U a 1-0 lead.
 
HPU managed to respond in the bottom of the third with a run of their own to tie the game. However, the Urban Knights regained their lead in top of the fifth after junior infielder Taylor Martin's single to left drove in junior outfielder Jackson Murphy.
 
Academy of Art was denied a shutdown inning in the bottom of the frame as the Sharks pushed across two, taking a 3-2 lead, their first advantage of the game.
 
Those three runs were the only allowed by the Knights' starting pitcher, junior right hander Chris Petrosie. The Miami native cruised through the sixth and seventh innings without a hitch, but was replaced with two outs and two runners on in the eighth by senior lefty Alexander Kuisel. On Kuisel's very first pitch, he gave up a single to left field, but junior outfielder Izac Bauer threw out the runner attempting to score from second to end the inning.
 
After ART U rallied for a run in the eighth, both sides headed to the ninth, tied 3-3. With two outs and two runners aboard, junior infielder Michael Maleski headed to the plate looking to turn around an 0-for-3 day up to that point. On a 1-2 count, the Architecture major laced a single into left field, plating both runs and giving ART U a 5-3 lead.
 
Looking to seal the deal and take a 2-1 lead in the series, Kuisel threw a perfect bottom on the ninth, needing just 11 pitches to retire the side in order.
 
GAME TWO:
 
The Urban Knights broke out the bats in the second game of Saturday's twin bill, scoring a season-high, 12 runs off of another season-high, 13 hits.
 
Entering the second inning trailing 1-0, ART U sent nine batters to the plate, putting together a six-run inning. Senior infielder Erick Luna drove in a pair with a two-out single to left and Bauer followed with a two-run home run to left-center (his second of the season).
 
The Urban Knights would not hold their 6-1 lead for long however, as the Sharks responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. Although Academy of Art got a run back in the top of the third, HPU came back with two more in the bottom of the inning to cut ART U's deficit to one run (7-6).
 
That was as close as Hawaii Pacific would come however, as the Urban Knights put together another big inning in the fifth. This time, the Knights struck for five runs which came courtesy of junior pitcher Alex Fernandez, Maleski, and Luna. Maleski and Luna produced back-to-back two-RBI doubles and Academy of Art took a commanding 12-6 lead.
 
The Sharks did respond in the bottom of the fifth, but were only able to score one run and the Urban Knights were able to hold on for the 12-7 victory.
 
Five players registered double-digit hits in the contest and the first through fourth hitters were particularly potent: together, they batted .450 (9-for-20) with nine runs batted in, two doubles, a home run, and six runs scored.
 
Academy of Art will now head home after taking five out of eight games during their Hawaiian-stay. Upon their return, they will face California Baptist in a four-game set March 23-25.