FRESNO, Calif. -- In the final game of the season, Academy of Art led by as many as four and recorded their third straight game with double digit hits, but a four run sixth by Fresno Pacific moved the Sunbirds past the Urban Knights. ART U had one last record breaking moment in the fifth when junior outfielder Alex Golembiewski hit his first triple and the teams 16th of the season to break the single season triples record and claim yet another offensive record.

"Really really proud of these boys," said head coach Dan McDermott. "We had a lot of high expectations this season and just never really got over the hump. We battled through a lot of adversity and came up short by one run in three of the games. Better situational execution in just a few plays would have made the difference."

With senior pitcher Ben Clegg on the mound for his first career start the Sunbirds struck early, with one run in the first and another in the third. Academy of Art came back to tie the game at two in the fourth when senior second baseman Elijah Smith knocked in a pair of runs on a single to right field. The Urban Knights added on in the fifth with a big four run inning to take a 6-2 lead. The rally was capped off by senior catcher Zak May's 33rd run batted in of the season. Golembiewski contributed with a run batted in on his first triple of the season and junior outfielder Thomas Delgadillo kept his 18 game hit-streak alive with a double down the line. The Sunbirds chipped away at the ART U lead with a pair of runs in the fifth and went ahead the following inning with four runs in the sixth for an 8-6 advantage. May collected another run batted in on a ground out in the seventh to score junior shortstop Justin Summers, but that would be the final time ART U threatened as the Sunbirds held the 8-7 lead for the win. Delgadillo, Golembiewski, and senior utility Donnie Gardiner all ended with multiple hits and at least one run scored.

"This is a great bunch of seniors and we will miss them all," said McDermott. "They are proud of ART U and played hard all the time to represent the school in a positive fashion. It is now time for the players to celebrate their successes while the coaches work on continuing to improve the program."

With a loss in their final game of the season, ART U falls to 17-29 overall and 6-25 in conference. The 17 wins mark the third most wins in a single season in 11 years of the program's existence.