OAKLAND, Calif. – The Fresno Pacific baseball team picked up its' fourth straight win on Friday night, defeating Academy of Art 8-2 in PacWest Conference action. The Sunbirds have now opened league play with back-to-back wins for the first time since joining the league prior to the 2013 season.   
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Final: Fresno Pacific 8, Academy of Art 2
Records: FPU (5-3, 2-0 PacWest), ARTU (5-6, 0-2 PacWest)
Location: Laney College Field | Oakland, Calif.   
All-Time Series: FPU leads 21-5
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HOW IT HAPPENED:   
• ARTU left fielder Noah Daubin started the scoring with an RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the second, and center field Evan Ray followed suit in the fourth to give the Urban Knights a 2-0 lead.
• Eddie Sievers got the Sunbirds on the board in the seventh with a base hit to left, and a passed ball allowed Hunter Villanueva to tie the game an inning later.
• The Fresno Pacific offense came up big in the ninth for the second consecutive night, taking advantage of multiple ARTU miscues to tally six runs in the final chapter.
• Sievers and Tristen Alvarez each recorded three base hits, while Nate Case and Adam Aleman also contributed multi-hit performances.
• Right hander Alex Garcia went the distance for the Sunbirds, allowing two unearned runs and striking out seven Urban Knights en route to his second win of the year.
• For ARTU, five players picked up a hit, while Ray was the only player credited with an RBI.
• Coming off a no-hitter against Simpson last weekend, Ben Kaser held the FPU offense in check over his seven innings, scattering seven hits and surrendering just one run before giving way to the bullpen.
• Donnie Gardiner took over on the hill, but his defense provided little help, as he was hit with four unearned runs and was saddled with the loss.  
• CJ Romero picked up the final two outs, but only after giving up a pair of hits and the final two FPU runs of the evening.
 
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE:
• The Sunbirds have racked up at least 10 hits in each of the last four games, outscoring opponents 54-23 in that stretch.
• Starting pitchers have dominated the first two outings of the series for the Blue and Orange, combining for 16 innings, 16 strikeouts and just two earned runs.
• FPU's current four-game win streak is the longest since the 2016 season, when the Sunbirds won seven in a row in back-to-back series victories over Holy Names and Hawai'i Pacific.  
 
ON DECK:
• FPU and Academy of Art will wrap up the series with a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, playing nine innings in the opener before a seven-inning nightcap. First pitch from Laney College Field is slated for 12:00 p.m.