OAKLAND, Calif. – Academy of Art baseball hit the scorebard first in a big way against Holy Names during the opening Pacific West Conference game of the season for both teams, plating each of their first three runs on home runs as graduate student outfielder Landon Levine became the sixth Urban Knight to have a multi-homer game, but a grand slam in the fourth helped power a 12-7 HNU comeback victory on Friday.

Levine's first big fly came in the home half of the first as his solo homer helped the Urban Knights (7-8, 0-1 PacWest) stake a 1-0 lead early, and Academy of Art threatened again in the second when freshman first baseman Michael Wiborn doubled to left center before moving up to third on a groundout, but was left stranded 90 feet from home. That gave the Hawks (11-5, 1-0 PacWest) the time they needed as they scored the game's tying run in what proved to be an eventful third inning, and one that started a stretch of seven consecutive half innings were runs were scored. 

After reaching on a one-out walk, HNU's Koto Sato was then thrown out at home plate trying to score from first, as Levine showed off his defense in addition to his offense with a strike of a throw to the plate that arrived just in time. Remaining in scoring position at second base with his double was Esai Santos, who scored in just the next at-bat thanks to an RBI single from Andrew Evans, who then himself was thrown out trying to advance from first to second on the throw home from the outfield. 

Buzzing and looking to capitalize on the momentum from a pair of outfield assists in the previous half inning, Levine did just that as this time he hit a two-run blast that scored freshman catcher Gabe Henderson after he opened the frame on a slow-rolling single to third. Not only did it put the Knights up 3-1, it tied Levine for the team lead in home runs and was the first two-homer game since Charles Morgan did so last season on Feb. 20, 2022. 

Once again the lead was short-lived as Holy Names swung the game back in their favor with a six-run top of the fourth, starting with a single and pair of walks that loaded the bases with one out before Domenik Cervantes took an 0-2 pitch over the left field fence for a grand slam. Following the second out, a walk to Santos and a triple from Sato in consecutive at-bats produced the fifth run of the frame before Sato scored the sixth and final run of the inning on a passed ball to make it a 7-3 game. 

Not waiting to try and climb back into the game, Academy of Art immediately struck for two in the home half of the inning as the Knights put together a mini two-out rally. With Wiborn already on base with a single, he stole second base while just one or two pitches before senior outfielder Hayato Niki was hit by a pitch, putting a pair of runners on with both advancing into scoring position thanks to an error on a failed pick off at second base. Taking advantage was Henderson, driving both in with a single up the middle to bring the game to 7-5. Two subsequent walks once again loaded the bases, but a strikeout looking ended the inning and stranded the bases full. 

An inning-opening single for HNU made it all the way to third with just one out, scoring on an RBI single up the middle that increased the lead to 8-5. Putting up their third straight crooked number in the bottom of the frame was ART U, scoring the first after a throwing error from the pitcher while the second was a bases loaded walk to graduate student outfielder Travis Turney that brought the contest to within a run at 8-7. The stretch finally ended with one last pair of Holy Names runs in the away half of the sixth, a two-RBI single from Jesus Hernandez that saw him thrown out trying to advance to second on the throw, but the score was already 10-7.

Though ART U put runners at second and third in the seventh, and loaded the bases in the eighth, the Knights were unable to find the timely hit to drive a run in. Once again that left space for HNU to push across another pair of runs in the top of the ninth, scoring a pair of unearned runs though they were driven in on a double down the right field line from Cervantes, finally making the game 12-7. 

The winning pitcher of record was Simon Martinez (2-0), who logged 3.0 innings in relief while allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits with three walks and four strkeouts. Meanwhile, ART U junior right-hander Devan Quesada was tagged with his first loss of the season dropping his record to 2-1. 

At the dish, Levine two homers led the way as he was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three driven in, and Henderson also posted a multi-hit game by going 2-for-6 with a run scored and two RBI. Also accomplishing the feat was Wiborn, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored while three other Urban Knights contributed a hit apiece.

The series continues with games two and three tomorrow, as ART U battles HNU in a doubleheader from Laney College beginning at 1 and 4 p.m.