Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

HAYWARD, Calif. — With warm temperatures came hot bats Saturday, as the Academy of Art University baseball team exploded for 10 runs on 16 hits and earned its first win of the season in a doubleheader split versus Cal State East Bay.
The Urban Knights (1-4) overcame two separate deficits in game two and held off a late rally by the Pioneers (2-1) to win game two 4-3. Senior starting pitcher Nate Gercken (1-1) went the distance in the seven-inning game with six strikeouts to earn the victory. CSUEB took game one with two big innings, winning 14-6.
 
GAME ONE
 
Cal State East Bay had an answer for every rally Academy of Art had in the opener, and the answers were big. A six-run fourth, highlighted by a grand slam from Ryan Kochan, followed a game-tying run in the top half by ART U and a seven-run eighth came on the heels of a two-run ART U rally that had cut CSUEB's lead to three runs.

Tyler Strawn's 1st homer of the year goes over the right field fence in the 8th inning & pulls @artubaseball to within 7-3 at Cal State East Bay! PacWestBASE ArtSchool A video posted by Be Artist. Be Athlete. (@artu_knights) on Feb 14, 2015 at 1:21pm PST

 
Kochan missed hitting for the cycle by a triple, going 3-for-5 with six RBIs and two runs scored. The Pioneers collected 17 hits in game one with every single player who had at least one plate appearance getting at least one hit or scoring at least one run. Justin Harr (1-0) took the win with seven innings of two-run ball, notching five strikeouts to one walk.
 
But Academy of Art never went away for good. After falling behind 1-0 in the second inning, senior catcher James Singzon drove home the game-tying run with a two-out RBI single in the fourth to make it 1-1. Then trailing 7-2, ART U got back two more runs with a solo home run from junior shortstop Tyler Strawn and an RBI single from junior third baseman Brett Adami. Finally, trailing 14-4 in the ninth inning, senior designated hitter Chucky Cavestany plated two runs with a two-out, two-RBI double to make it 14-6.
 
Adami broke out of an early-season slump with a 2-for-4 performance in game one. Cavestany finished 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored. The Urban Knights pounded out nine hits and had the leadoff batter reach base in seven of nine innings.
 
GAME TWO
 
The nightcap was a battle for the Urban Knights, but the relentless attitude in game one carried over and lifted them to their first win of the season and head coach Dan McDermott's first victory with the program.
 
Adami continued his offensive roll in game two with a go-ahead two-RBI double with two outs in the fifth inning, putting ART U ahead for good at 3-2. Sophomore right fielder Daniel Gutierrez gave the Urban Knights their eventual winning run in the sixth with a two-out RBI single that drove home senior first baseman Daniel Skinner and made it 4-2.
 
Cal State East Bay got a run back in the bottom of the sixth on a throwing error that would have ended the inning for ART U, then threatened again in the bottom of the seventh. A one-out walk to pinch-hitter Nick Perez gave the Pioneers the winning run at the plate, but Gerken struck out pinch-hitter Rob Link and got Marcus Wise to pop out in foul territory on a two-strike count to end the game.
 
The endcaps of the ART U lineup did the producing, as leadoff batter junior center fielder Joseph Marchini went 3-for-4 with a run scored and junior second baseman Cody Edmunds went 1-for-3 with two runs scored from the ninth spot.
 
Gerken threw the seventh complete game of his career and tied the ART U career record for victories with his fifth. He allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and four walks. Angel Lara (0-1) took the loss for the Pioneers, giving up three runs (two earned) in five innings of work.
 
The four-game series concludes Sunday with a single game at 1 p.m. at Pioneer Field.