ALAMEDA, Calif. – A never-quit attitude helped spark a ninth-inning comeback for Academy of Art baseball on Saturday, as ART U scored five times in the final frame to snatch a 7-6 victory in game one of a Pacific West Conference doubleheader of Holy Names, then closed the day with a strong 10-6 victory in the shortened second game. 

The Urban Knights (13-32, 7-20 PacWest) needed all five of their final runs in game one, erasing what was a 6-2 lead for the Hawks (16-28, 7-20 PacWest) heading into the final inning thanks to put an end to their previous five-game losing streak. Meanwhile, a pair of large innings in the second game provided Academy of Art with all the offense they would need to hold off a late-game HNU comeback bid, as 13 of the game's 16 runs were scored in the final three innings of play to produce a wild finish. Discipline at the dish for ART U was strong as the Knights drew a total of 10 walks on the day, five in each contest, their first time drawing at least that many free passes since they were issued seven in the final game of the series against No. 3 Point Loma. 

GAME ONE – ART U 7, HNU 6
A pair of singles from junior middle infielder Adam Inouye and graduate student outfielder Travis Turney got things started in the top of the first for ART U, but after a quick pair of outs thanks to a caught stealing and a strikeout, it took a clutch knock from redshirt sophomore designated hitter Liam Rizzo to drive in the game's first run and take the early lead. A two-out triple from junior utility fielder Robbie Brue threatened another run in the away half of the second, but he would be left on third base. 

Things were leveled in the bottom half of the frame as the Hawks used a walk and a double to put a pair of runners in scoring position, but only one came across to score on an RBI groundout. Shortly after in the third inning is when Holy Names grabbed its first lead, stringing together five hits including a double to plate three runs in the home half of the third. 

Both teams traded runs in the fourth inning, with ART U scoring theirs on a sacrifice fly from freshman third baseman Emil Jellinek to score graduate student catcher Ryan Gamboa, who had doubled to open in the frame before advancing to third on a passed ball. HNU's response came in the form of a triple, with the runner later scoring in the inning on an ART U error. 

A walk and a pair of singles helped Holy Names add a run of insurance in the bottom half of the seventh, but it would not hold up when things rolled into the top of the ninth. Two batters into the inning and the Knights had scored a run, with Jellinek scoring on an RBI single from senior utility fielder Ryan Skillman after initially being hit by a pitch to start the frame. A Brue single and a walk to Inouye loaded the bases, prompting an HNU pitching change, but it could not flip the momentum as a walk would bring in yet another run.

After yet one more pitching change, the result remained the same as a third straight free pass to the Knights would push another run across. With yet one more final pitching change, senior first baseman Vincent Lontz lined a full-count offering through the right side for a two-RBI single, the final two of the inning's five tallies. 

Three different Urban Knights notched multi-hit games as Turney, Lontz and Brue all recorded two hits, as Turney ended 2-for-4 with a run and RBI, Lontz finished 2-for-3 with two RBI, and Brue was 2-for-4 with a run scored and a triple, his first of the year. Additionally, Gamboa was 1-for-4 with a double and run scored while Inouye was 1-for-4 with two runs scored. 

Senior right-hander Cannon Secrist picked up his fourth win of the season, allowing six runs though only five were earned on a total of 13 hits. It was his sixth complete game of the season, tying for the team lead along with fellow senior righty Collin Carriger, and Secrist also punched out four batters in the process. 

GAME TWO – ART U 10, HNU 6 (7)
Holy Names found the scoreboard first in the second half of the twinbill during the bottom of the third, generating a run after Colton Combs was hit by a pitch and subsequently stole second and third, ultimately coming home on a throwing error during the swipe of third. Though Academy of Art responded with a run on a sacrifice fly from Rizzo in the fourth, scoring Turney who had opened the inning with a double, HNU had another swift response in the bottom half of the frame with a two-out rally that consisted of a pair of singles. 

ART U continued the scoring streak in the top of the fifth, immediately loading the bases with no outs thanks to a hit batter and singles from Jellinek and Skillman. Runs would score the following two batters on a groundout from Brue and an infield single from Inouye, but things would feel like deja vú after a pair of walks once again loaded the bases. That set the stage for Rizzo to bring them in, sending a 2-2 pitch into center field for a single to clear the bases. One final run would later cross the plate when Rizzo scored on a wild pitch. 

Three insurance runs were added for Academy of Art in their final at-bats during the seventh, taking advantage of a pair of HNU errors and capitalizing on RBI singles from Gamboa and Skillman to push the game seemingly out of reach.

However, Holy Names tried to string together a comeback of their own with four runs on just two hits in the home half of the ninth, but ART U sophomore right-handed reliever Dallen Turner found his groove to ultimately close the door on the Hawks and preserve a 10-6 win. 

Though Turner allowed four runs, only two were earned, coming on just a pair of hits. His effort helped secure the second win in the past three starts for ART U freshman lefty Brian Kraft, who allowed just one unearned run on three hits over 6.0 innings pitched with a total of six strikeouts. 

Seven different Urban Knights tallied hits in the game, with only Skillman collecting a multi-hit game by ending 2-for-4 with an RBI. Each of Turney, Rizzo and Gamboa would score a pair of runs, with Turney chipping in a double while Rizzo added to his production with a total of four RBI in game two alone (five total on the day). Additionally, Inouye was 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. 

Game four of the series gets underway tomorrow at noon, as ART U looks for the series win with a victory in the series finale.