Box Score #1
Box Score #2

Oakland, CA – At Laney College on a sunny Friday afternoon, the Academy of Art University baseball team wrapped up its series with Pacific West Conference rival Hawaii-Hilo. Game one went to the Vulcans 9-0, then in the series conclusion, the Knights went up 4-1 midway though, but a pair of three-run rallies by Hawaii-Hilo pushed them back ahead for the 7-5 victory. Freshman catcher James Singzon and junior infielder Kenny Rollins, Jr. each had hits in both games to boost their hitting streaks while five different Urban Knights drove in runs in the second contest.

“I'm proud of the way the guys played in this series; they really played hard,” Head Coach Brian Guinn said. “I know we came up short a bit in a few games, but we're happy that the attitude is getting better. I think the program as a whole is getting much better too so the guys can keep their heads up.”

Hawaii-Hilo was on the board first in game one as the Vulcans scored twice in the opening inning. Academy of Art senior starting pitcher Alex Rosenthal (0-3) would find his rhythm quickly thereafter and was able to retire eight consecutive batters, making the visitors' innings brief.

The Knights had a runner on base in each of the first three innings, highlighted by a double off freshman infielder Wade Broadstreet's bat in the second and back-to-back bunt singles by senior outfielder Ryan Worley and Singzon in the third. The scoring opportunities did not bear fruit, however, and UHH proceeded to add to its lead with five runs in the fourth. From there, the Vulcans added two more in the fifth and went on to take a 9-0 win.

“Hilo's pitcher threw ball well and we hit ball at people which kept score where it was,” Coach Guinn said. “[Hawaii-Hilo] had one inning where they broke it open, but we were in that game too so it's always just the one inning for us right now.”


After facing a tough starting pitcher in game one, Academy of Art's offense broke through in the series finale. The Urban Knights' run in the first inning came as a result of senior Johnathan Robbins' speed. He was hit by a pitch and then stole second base to create the opportunity for senior infielder Darnell Quinney to hit a RBI single.

ART U rallied for three runs in the third to build a 4-1 advantage. The inning began with consecutive singles by junior outfielder Niko Leite, Robbins, and finally a RBI hit by Singzon. Junior infielder Zach Babitt then laid down a bunt to execute a suicide squeeze, scoring Robbins and simultaneously advancing Singzon to second. The final run scored by Academy of Art in that inning later was driven in by junior infielder Jared DePatto on a single.

Hawaii-Hilo responded to the rally with a three-run push of its own in the fifth that effectively tied the ballgame, 4-4. The teams remained knotted through a quick sixth inning before the contest was decided in the seventh. UHH started what would be the final inning with another three runs, but ART U was not yet finished scoring. Worley led off the Knights' seventh with a single, reached third when the Vulcan pitcher threw a wild pickoff attempt, and came home on a Leite groundout. In the end it was a 7-5 win for Hawaii-Hilo after the visitors managed to get the final outs they needed.

“In the second game, we just ran out of pitching and I think kids on both sides were a little tired,” Coach Guinn said. “Playing a day game after a night game is tough for all, but we kept battling until final out was made.”

Singzon, who was 1-for-3 in the opener, notched a pair of hits, one RBI, and a stolen base in the second game. He has now put together an eight-game hitting streak that has featured three multi-hit outings. Rollins, Jr. went 1-for-3 in both contests to effectively extend his season-best hitting streak to five games. Making things happen on the base paths in the second game, Robbins scored twice in that contest and swiped his PacWest-leading 21st base as well. Junior lefty Zach Mexicano highlighted the Knights' Friday pitching performances by striking out three of the four batters he faced in a game two relief appearance. ART U moves to 4-28 overall, 4-16 in the PacWest.

“Last year, Johnathan won the stolen base crown and then you had Worley right behind him,” Coach Guinn said. “Some of our guys are going to steal more bases as the weather is getting better. We'll just wait to see what happens as Johnathan gets hot with the bat. When he gets on base, things happen.”

The tandem o f Kekoa Lee and infielder Johnathan James led the way for UHH on Friday. Each hitter had a four-RBI game in the doubleheader, combining for a 7-for-14 day with nine total RBIs and two runs scored. Pitching a complete 7.0 innings in the opener, righty Tyler Simao (1-4) surrendered no runs along with four hits and five strikeouts. Game two's winning pitcher was reliever Chris Pascual (1-2) who allowed no earned runs and one hit in the final 2.0 innings. UHH improves to 10-15 overall, 6-10 in PacWest play with Friday's results.

Academy of Art will next play a brief non-conference road series versus Patten University. The Knights and Lions meet for three games in two days, beginning on Apr. 8 at College of Alameda.