Box Score


Chico, CA -- When the Academy of Art University baseball team hosted West Region power Chico State last season, the Urban Knights hung with the Wildcats save for one big inning that really could have been avoided. In the series opener on Friday against Chico, it looked like that 2013 series over again, as it was a close game until a five-run sixth inning proved to be the Knights' undoing as they fell 8-2.

Freshman Josh Lopez (1-1) had been lights out to start the year, coming into the game having not allowed a hit or a run in five innings, and he extended that streak by retiring the first three Chico hitters he saw. The first baserunner he gave up came in the second inning, as Ruben Padilla led off with a walk, going to second on a groundout and eventually scoring on an RBI single from Kenny Corona, and the Wildcats were up 1-0 after two.

The Knights (4-5) threatened in the third inning, as Daniel Robertson reached on an error and Lyle "Kalani" Brackenridge extended his hitting streak to six games with a single, but the runners were stranded.

Chico State (7-3) then took advantage in the third, extending their lead in an inning that started off with a throwing error on Dante Redhead. Cody Slader then came around to score on a sac fly and would score on a single to left by Blake Walker. Walker would score later in the inning, and although both runs were unearned, the Wildcats had taken a 3-0 lead.

Lopez settled down until the sixth, but it was again the unearned runs that started the rally. After getting an out to start the frame, Eric Angerer doubled over the head of left-fielder Daniel Gutierrez. Corona then reached on a bobbled grounder by Daniel Skinner at first, and Peter Miller singled to follow and drove in a run. A couple batters later, after Drew Keeler came in to relieve Lopez,  Ryne Clark hit a two-RBI single that really broke the game open, and Tyler Madrid was hit by a pitch to knock in another run. When the dust settled, the Knights were down 8-0 heading into the seventh.

There weren't any fireworks for either side in the seventh inning, but the Urban Knights put together a rally in the eighth inning to break the shutout. Against Chico pitcher Robert Engels, who was in his second inning of work after starter Nick Baker worker 6.2 scoreless innings, Daniel Robertson and Daniel Gutierrez hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. Brackenridge reached on a fielder's choice and then stole second, his seventh of the year, and Marchini followed with a sacrifice fly to right to score the run.

After a pair of walks, a wild pitch score Brackenridge, and Engels was knocked out of the game. But that was the only scoring for Academy of Art, as Skinner grounded out to end the inning and Matt Hutchins pitched a scoreless ninth. 

Brackenridge had a multi-hit game for the Knights, while Marchini and Thomas both extended their hitting streaks to five games. Lopez had seven runs on his ledger, but only four were earned, while Drew Keeler had 2.2 innings giving up only one run, which was unearned. The two teams meet for a doubleheader tomorrow, with the first pitch at 11:00 AM.