OAKLAND, Calif. – Timely offense and a stellar performance from senior right-hander Brett Bovee in his final collegiate start propelled Academy of Art to a split against Point Loma on Friday. Now 1-1 in the series, the Urban Knights will look to win the set with their final two games of the season set to take place on Saturday afternoon.
 
GAME ONE: ART U 6, PLNU 4
 
ART U wasted no time in pulling ahead in the first contest, jumping ahead 1-0 with a run in the bottom of the first: with runners on second and third, senior infielder Erick Luna hit a groundball to the third baseman who could not field it cleanly, allowing junior designated hitter Kyle McGraw to come in to score.
 
The Knights added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth which started off with a big hit from sophomore infielder Robert "Gio" Villanueva. The Architecture major crushed a 3-1 pitch over the left field wall for his first-career home run to lead off the inning. The offensive parade continued for ART U as senior outfielder Cameron Jones followed with a six-pitch walk which set up a pair of singles from McGraw and junior infielder Michael Maleski. Now, with the bases loaded, Luna stepped up to the plate and delivered a single to right field which plated two runs. Two batters later, junior catcher Marciano Reichel hit a fly ball to left-center which scored Maleski from third, giving the Fremont, Calif. native a sacrifice fly and Academy of Art a 5-0 lead. ART U scored once more in the sixth thanks to another sac fly, this time courtesy of junior infielder Taylor Martin.
 
Point Loma made a dent in the 6-0 deficit in their half of the eighth, scoring four runs in the frame. The inning was highlighted by a bases-loaded triple from Micah Pries.
 
Those were the only runs that Bovee would surrender, however. In fact, heading into the eighth, the Las Vegas native had allowed just two hits. Bovee was impressive from the start, tossing 4.1 perfect innings before giving up a double with one out in the fifth inning. His first few frames were very efficient as well, throwing 10-pitch innings in the first and second frames and a five-pitch inning in the third. Bovee went on to throw his second complete game of the season and fifth of his career which ties him for third all-time in the program's history along with Alexander Kuisel and Wade Broadstreet.
 
As a team, the Urban Knights collected eight hits with McGraw and Maleski contributing two each. Luna went 1-for-3 with two runs batted in, two walks, and a run, while Reichel went 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI, and Villanueva reached base once in four at-bats by way of his fourth-inning homer.
 
GAME TWO: ART U 2, PLNU 12
 
In game two, it was the Sea Lions' turn to take an early lead, as an RBI groundout in the first gave them a 1-0 advantage. In the bottom of the second, ART U returned the favor with a run of their own, manufactured by a Martin sacrifice fly.
 
The score was now knotted at 1-1, but Point Loma then proceeded to pull away. In the third, Garcia hit his 13th homer of the season, a shot that landed well-beyond the right-field fence. The Sea Lions added three more in the fourth, five more in the fifth, and single runs in the sixth and eighth innings.
 
Trailing 12-1, the Urban Knights were able to add a run in the eighth when junior outfielder Izac Bauer scored on a wild pitch, but the attempt to rally from behind fell short as ART U dropped game two by the score of 12-2.
 
Academy of Art tallied eight hits in game two as well, but this time, three Knights totaled two of hits apiece: Bauer (2-for-4, two runs scored), junior catcher Tyler Harry (2-for-2), and senior outfielder Cameron Jones (2-for-2).
 
The Urban Knights will close out the 2017 season on Saturday when they head to University of San Francisco's Benedetti Diamond for a doubleheader against Point Loma. Before game one, there will be an on-field ceremony where ART U's six seniors will be recognized for their accomplishments over the years.