FRESNO, Calif. – Friday's Pacific West Conference doubleheader was a tale of two games for Academy of Art baseball, as ART U was limited to just a single run on a homer from sophomore third baseman Emil Jellinek in an 11-1 game one loss before then exploding for nine runs on eight hits with yet another homer while junior right-handed starter Devan Quesada was nearly perfect through six innings, resulting in a 9-3 win during the shortened second game for a split of the day. 

While Jellinek put the Urban Knights (10-10, 3-3 PacWest) on the scoreboard for the first time in the day during the top of the fifth in game one, the Sunbirds (8-12, 2-3 PacWest) had already taken control of the game and kept it going until the final out, taking the opener of the series by double-digit runs. Roles were reversed in nearly an identical fashion for game two, with a dominant starting outing by Quesada pairing well with an explosion of game two runs, which featured a pair of two-RBI hits by senior outfielder Hayato Niki and redshirt junior catcher Liam Rizzo. 

GAME ONE – FPU 11, ART U 1
Despite a game-opening double from freshman catcher Gabe Henderson, the Knights left him stranded at second base before returning the favor to the Sunbirds, as FPU left a pair of two-out walks aboard in a scoreless first. Trying to threaten again in the second, ART U had a one-out single erased in the subsequent at-bat by hitting into a groundball double play, which allowed Fresno Pacific to take advantage in the home half of the frame. Two walks had runners on with no outs, with both advancing on wild pitches which led to the game's first run crossing. Two more walks, a hit by pitch and single ultimately resulted in a four-spot for FPU in the bottom of the second. 

After a quick third inning, the Academy of Art tried to respond in the fourth with another pair of runners on and one out, but failed to generate a run. The Sunbirds did so in their turn at the dish, putting a man at second base thanks to a single and a wild pitch, scoring two batters later on a two-out double down the right field line to make the game 5-0. 

"We let game one get away from us early as we issued multiple walks in the first several inning to stake FPU to a 5-0 lead," McDermott said.

Academy of Art put an end to the FPU streak in a big way in the top of the fifth, as Jellinek launched his team-high tying third home run of the season with a leadoff blast down the left field line. That knots him with Levine as both now have three on the year, though Jellinek has homered in three different games while Levine had the earlier two-homer game. Riding the momentum, Academy of Art continued the inning and had a pair of runners on base with one in scoring position and two out, but were unable to push across any more runs in a 4-1 contest. 

Fresno Pacific wasted no time in their answer to ART U, putting up a five-spot in the bottom of the fifth that put them comfortably in front as the game headed towards the finish. A single and hit by pitch put two on with two away, with both scoring on a following RBI triple into center field. Hits kept coming, as an RBI single followed before a two-run homer to left field put the cap on the inning and brought the score to 10-1. An RBI fielder's choice in the sixth finally brought the game to its 11-1 final. 

It was going to be tough sledding for ART U matched up against one of the top arms in the PacWest, as Fresno Pacific starter Garrett Cooper entered the contest with a 1.07 ERA (second-lowest in PacWest) and proceeded to allow just one earned run on seven hits over 6.0 innings pitched with five strikeouts, resulting in his third win of the campaign. While pitching was tough for ART U in the opener, sophomore right-hander Cole Shafer was not charged an earned run (one unearned run) on three hits in 3.1 innings pitched with five strikeouts. 

Though ART U totaled eight hits, only the two from Henderson and Jellinek went for extra bases, and Henderson was the only to register a multi-hit game by going 2-for-4 with the double. Jellinek had the only run production by going 1-for-3 with a run scored and driven in thanks to his big fly. Four others were each 1-for-4, while graduate student outfielder Travis Turney was 1-for-3 with a walk.

"We battled back in the middle innings and I truly thought we had an opportunity to win the game when we got to 5-1, but we gave up a big inning and never got the momentum back," McDermott said. "Cole Shafer was a bright spot in relief and Gabe Henderson had a great game behind the plate. 

GAME TWO – ART U 9, FPU 3 (7 INNINGS)
Neither team found a run with the game moving quickly through the first three innings despite the Knights putting runners on in both the first and second innings, though ART U was the first team to break through as they once again did so in big fashion from the bat of redshirt sophomore designated hitter Patrick Morgan. A pair of singles set up the ART U inning, but a pair of outs had the Sunbirds in position to escape yet again without any damage allowed. That was until Morgan ran into a 1-0 pitch and drove it over the left center wall for a 3-0 lead. 

"Game two was a different story, as we rode Devan Quesada's pitching until our offense got us on the scoreboard," McDermott said. "It was great to see Patrick Morgan deliver as his three-run homer gave us a lead we never relinquished."

ART U kept up the scoring in each of the next two innings, adding to the lead with an RBI single up the middle from Turney in the fifth before dropping a five-spot in the top of the sixth. A sacrifice fly from junior second baseman Larry Fonseca started the inning's tallies, while the duo of Niki and Rizzo each drove in a pair (Niki doing so with a double) that made the contest 9-0. 

While the ART U offense was humming, so too was Quesada as he was yet to allow a hit with four punch outs through the first five innings. That stretch came to an end in the sixth, when FPU broke up the no-hit bid with a leadoff bunt single on the opening pitch, the scored their first run on the second pitch with a two-run blast to left from Jared Aguilar. An RBI groundout brought one more run across later in the frame, but that would be the final run of the game for either side in the scheduled seven-inning clash. 

"Quesada pitched a great game, taking his no-hit bid into the sixth inning," McDermott said. "Up 9-0, he lost his bid on a drag bunt single to start the inning."

Quesada still ended his outing with a quality start, allowing three earned runs on three hits in 6.0 innings while fanning five, bringing his record to 3-1 on the season which matches fellow junior right Koh Maeda for the team-lead. Though not a save situation, junior righty Fernando Dueñas tossed the final inning without allowing a run and giving up just one hit. Brady Crow was charged with the loss, giving up four runs (three earned) on six hits in 5.0 innings pitched. 

Both Niki and Rizzo had a two-hit games for ART U, as each was 2-for-4 though Niki scored twice and drove two in to the one run and two RBI of Rizzo. Four others tallied one hit, with Morgan's the only other extra base hit thanks to his homer, his first of the season (sixth Urban Knight to homer this season, eight total ART U home runs). 

"We still need to polish up our offensive production, especially regarding situational awareness," McDermott said. "Frankly, we are leaving too many runners on base and in scoring position, and it is concerning. Tomorrow's games will be intense, and we look forward to continuing this series against this veteran, experienced Fresno Pacific team."

The series will draw to a close on Saturday, with the two teams engaging in yet another doubleheader beginning at noon and 3 p.m.