IRVINE, Calif. – Two starts removed from his no-hitter, junior right-hander Ben Kaser took to the mound Friday afternoon against Concordia. The Van Nuys Calif. native looked dominant from the start, only allowing one hit through his first five innings of work. However, an Eagles grand slam in the sixth inning gave CUI a 4-2 lead, a deficit from which ART U could not recover after Concordia scored two more in the eighth.
 
Similar to the series opener, the Urban Knights struck first, scoring a pair of runs in the second inning. The runs batted in came courtesy of junior infielder Angel Mora whose single up the middle drove in both senior catcher Marciano Reichel and junior designated hitter Donnie Gardiner.
 
ART U placed runners in scoring position in both the third and fourth frames, but they could capitalize. In the bottom of the sixth, Concordia managed to load the bases by way of three singles, but it was Hunter Holland's grand slam that gave the Eagles a 4-2 lead.
 
CUI managed to add a pair of insurance runs in the eighth thanks again to Holland's bat: the Eagles' lone run producer of the day drove in two with a double off of junior righty Gonzo Rios who relieved Kaser in the eighth. Now trailing 6-2 entering the ninth inning, three separate Urban Knights reached first base, but they could not progress, forcing ART U to drop game two to CUI.
 
Mora had the biggest day at the plate for Academy of Art, going 1-for-3 with two RBI. Junior outfielder Taj Dawson also went 1-for-3 but his single in the second inning gave him four-consecutive base hits dating back to Thursday's 3-for-3 performance. Furthermore, he reached base five-straight times after landing on first thanks a fielder's choice in the top of the fourth.
 
With the loss, ART U's record drops to 6-9 overall, and they are 1-5 in PacWest-play. The Urban Knights will look to split the series with Concordia when they return to Eagles Field on Saturday for a doubleheader which begins at 11:00 a.m.