IRVINE, Calif. – The Concordia University Irvine baseball team split Thursday's doubleheader against Academy of Art, improving to 16-14 on the season.
 

Game 1: CUI 3, AAU 4 (10 innings)
 
In Game 1, the Eagles battled back and forth with the Urban Knights, ultimately dropping the game in the 10^th inning. Senior Brett Vansant gave CUI a quality start on the mound, going 7.0 innings, striking out three, and surrendering three runs on six hits. Chase Lyford, Nathaniel Tapia, and Noah McBride pitched out of the pen, collectively allowing one earned run on four hits in three innings of work.
 
The Eagle offense got out to an early lead in the first inning with an RBI single off the bat of Cooper Moore. The designated hitter would finish the first game as the only Eagle to collect multiple hits (2 for 4).
 
The Green & Gold struck again in the fifth inning when Haloa Dudoit hit an RBI triple to right center, his 247^th career hit. With that hit, Dudoit is now tied for the second most hits in CUI history with Gregg Davidson (2006-2009).
 
Jair Donovan was able to add on one more run in the sixth inning with a solo home run to right field, clearing the netting and landing deep into the turf beyond the fence. With that home run, Donovan is now tied for sixth in CUI all-time home runs at 17.
 
Academy of Art would score the game winning run in the top of the 10^th when Tony Garcia III's throw to second base deflected off of McBride on the mound, allowing the runner on third base to score.
 

Game 2: CUI 9, AAU 1
 
In Game 2, CUI dominated both sides of the ball. Dillon Brown gave the Eagles yet another quality start on the mound, striking out five batters and throwing a 1-run complete game on 77 pitches. The graduate student also collected 12 groundouts to just three flyouts. Since Brown's first start for CUI on April 23^rd, he has thrown three consecutive complete games (each 7.0 innings). In those 21.0 innings, he is 3-0, has allowed just three earned runs and two walks, while striking out 20 batters and boasting an ERA of 1.29.
 
The Eagle offense continued to produce in Game 2, first with an RBI groundout by Jeff Pellegrino in the second inning to score Collins. In the fourth inning, Cooper Moore hit a moonshot that cleared the height of the light pole for a 2-run home run. The very next batter, Bailey Collins, hit a missile to right center field, clearing the fence and the netting for his 33^rd career home run and 12^th of the season. With that home run, he takes sole possession of second place on the all-time list.
 
Two batters later, Pellegrino scored on a balk by the pitcher, extending CUI's lead to 5-0. Academy of Art responded with an RBI single in the fifth inning, but that would prove to be their only offensive production of the game.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Tony Garcia III laced a ball to left field, scoring both Collins and Moore and extending CUI's lead to 7-1. After a Will Bonn walk, Xavier Gonzalez stepped up and destroyed a ball to left field for his second career home run. However, Gonzalez missed home plate when circling the bases and was called out by the umpire, reverting his home run into a 2 RBI triple. Brown would shut down the Urban Knights in the top of the seventh, securing the 9-1 win.
 

All-Time Record Tracker
 
Hits

249         Kyle Konicek
247         Haloa Dudoit
247         Gregg Davidson
235         Derek Patterson
222         Daniel Robertson
208         Ben Kindreich
201         Bailey Collins
 
Home Runs

35           Derek Patterson
33           Bailey Collins
32           Matt Ross
23           Charles Chatman
20           Cooper Moore
17           Jair Donovan
17           Chad Smith
17           Matt Broesamle
17           Jim Mittleberger


The Eagles return to action on Friday at 2:00 PM.

CLICK HERE for the full 2021 CUI baseball schedule.

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