OAKLAND, Calif. – After taking game one of the series on Saturday night, Academy of Art carried over their momentum into Sunday, ultimately sweeping the doubleheader to take a commanding, 3-0 series lead.
 
GAME ONE: ART U 5, DSU 4
 
It was quiet start to game one as the scoreboard read zeros until the Trailblazers pulled ahead 1-0 in the third inning. However, their lead did not last as the Urban Knights pulled even at 1-1 thanks to a two-out RBI double from junior infielder Angel Mora, scoring senior outfielder Izac Bauer all the way from first.
 
ART U took their first lead of the game in the following inning when senior outfielder Jackson Murphy laced a single up the middle with two outs. On the play, junior infielder Elijah Smith came in to score after reaching by way of a single and then heading to second on a stolen base. The Urban Knights tacked on a another run in the sixth when Mora struck again, this time with an RBI single through the right side to drive in junior catcher Zak May.
 
In the following half-inning, DSU put themselves back into contention, scoring three unearned runs off of two errors to retake the lead (4-3). Nonetheless, it did not break junior infielder Tanner Marchant's spirit as he delivered the biggest at-bat of his career when he pinch hit for junior outfielder Taj Dawson in the bottom of the eighth: with two outs, Marchant drilled a pitch into right-center for his first extra-base hit and first two runs batted in an Urban Knights uniform.  The two-bagger proved to be the game-winner as ART U held onto their 5-4 lead thanks to a 1-2-3 top of the ninth from senior right-hander Chris Rost.
 
Rost was awarded the win after tossing 2.2 innings of one-hit ball which included one strikeout and no walks. Meanwhile, the Urban Knights' starter, senior lefty Alex Fernandez only surrendered one earned run while striking out five in his 6.2 innings of work.
 
GAME TWO: ART U 3, DSU 2
 
Game two proved to be more of a pitchers' duel as only one half-inning saw production in the opening six frames.
 
It was Academy of Art who put the runs across, breaking the scoreless tie with two runs in the bottom of the fourth. It was Mora who came through once again, delivering a two-out RBI double to left-field to score both Murphy and junior infielder Donnie Gardiner. However, Mora was not yet finished as he collected his fifth run batted in of the day in the sixth inning when his single to center field allowed senior catcher Marciano Reichel to cross the plate.
 
In the top of the seventh, junior righty Ben Kaser looked to finish the contest and collect his second complete game of the season. However, after getting two quick outs, he allowed four-consecutive batters to reach, forcing junior right-hander CJ Romero to enter the game in search of the final out. With the bases loaded, Romero walked the next batter on four pitches to make it a 3-2 game. But, on the very next pitch, he forced DSU's Jagun Leavitt to fly out to left-center to end the game, giving the Urban Knights the doubleheader sweep. Romero's effort also gave him his second save in two days.
 
Academy of Art now holds a 3-0 series lead which secures them their first-ever series victory against Dixie State and they are now on a five-game winning streak which is the longest in program-history. Furthermore, should ART U defeat the Trailblazers in the final game of the series, they will record their first-ever four-game series sweep in the program's 10-year history.
 
Mora took matters into his own hands on Sunday as he recorded five hits in six at-bats (two doubles) and was responsible for five of the Urban Knights' eight runs batted in. Slotted as ART U's No. 4 starter, Mora will look to carry the Knights again as he will take the mound in the series finale. In his four starts, he has compiled a team-leading two complete games with a 2.35 ERA and his .132 batting average against is the lowest by any starter in the PacWest.
 
The Urban Knights are now 11-9 overall and 6-5 in the PacWest. The series finale will take place on Monday evening with a first pitch time of 6:00 p.m. at Laney College.