RIVERSIDE, Calif. – It was a night of offense in game one between Academy of Art and No. 19 California Baptist. However, despite nearly matching the Lancers' hit total with 10, the Urban Knights fell on the wrong side of an 8-3 score.
 
ART U started things off with a base hit on the very first pitch off the bat of junior infielder Elijah Smith. Smith moved into scoring position on a successful sac bunt from senior infielder Taylor Martin, but the Knights were unable to bring him in. This started a trend for the Urban Knights in the early goings as their leadoff hitter reached scoring position in each of the first two innings and they had a runner in scoring position in all three of the opening frames. ART U nearly put their first run across in the second, but senior outfielder Izac Bauer was thrown out at home to end the inning.
 
In the opposing dugout, the Lancers got on the board early, scoring four runs in the bottom of the first, mostly thanks a 3-run home run from Ryan Mota. CBU added another in the second, but those were the only earned runs that they would score off of the Urban Knights' starter, junior right-hander Angel Mora. Mora settled down after the second, allowing just two hits in the third through sixth innings with three strikeouts. The Torrance, Calif. native collected seven punchouts in all while giving up seven runs (five earned) on nine hits and two walks. The only other two runs that were credited to Mora came in the seventh and they were both unearned thanks to a pair of ART U errors.
 
Academy of Art did get on the board in the top of the frame, however. It all started off when senior catcher Marciano Reichel lined a base hit off of the second baseman's glove into right-center. Two batters later, Martin lifted a double to left field to set up runners at second and third with just one out. Junior outfielder Taj Dawson came through, slapping a grounder to the third baseman, allowing Reichel to score from third.
 
Entering the top of the eighth trailing 7-1, Bauer brought the Urban Knights closer, cutting the deficit to four runs with a line shot over the left-field wall. His fourth home run of the season made it 7-3 CBU. However, the Lancers responded with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning and eventually took game one 8-3.
 
Bauer's 2-for-4 night adds on to a recent hot streak that he has been on: now on a 5-game hit streak, he has batted .555 (5-for-9) in his last three contests and has hit a home run in back-to-back games. Martin was the only other Knight to record multiple hits as he also went 2-for-4
 
Academy of Art will be back at it on Wednesday evening when they face the Lancers in a doubleheader which will begin at 4:00 p.m.