Box Score #1
Box Score #2

Moraga, CA --- At Louis Guisto Field on Friday afternoon, Urban Knights baseball (0-10, 0-2 PacWest) fell to Dixie State College (8-6, 3-3 PacWest) in a conference-opening doubleheader with final scores of 9-2 and 17-4. Junior left fielder Ryan Worley was 4-for-7 in the two games with three runs scored, one run batted in, and one stolen base against last year's PacWest Conference champions.

Although DSC got on the board first in game one, the Knights answered back after Worley hit the second triple of his career to center field. Junior catcher Chris Vargas then plated Worley with a sacrifice ground out which tied the game 1-1. The Red Storm got a home run in the second inning and rallied for three more in the third to lead 5-1 through three innings.

Academy of Art got one run back in the fourth as Worley sparked another scoring opportunity. He led off the inning with a single, stole second and later came home on a sacrifice fly by senior right fielder Mike Gutierrez. With the score 6-3 in favor of Dixie State, the Red Storm put three runs on the board in the seventh and took the 9-2 victory.

Junior right-handed pitcher Darnell Quinney (0-3) pitched well in his start for the Urban Knights. While the Red Storm scored five runs in the first three innings, only two of those were earned against Quinney due to fielding errors. He went six innings with nine runs allowed (five earned) with three strikeouts.

 

The second game started with two three-run rallies by the Red Storm in the first two innings. Dixie State added six more runs in the third, but Academy of Art would come back by scoring three in their bottom half. Freshman shortstop Stefen Henderson singled in the third and sophomore centerfielder Johnathan Robbins was hit by a pitch to put speed on the bases with no outs. The next three Knights batters earned RBIs after Worley singled, Vargas singled, and Gutierrez reached on a fielder's choice.

The Red Storm led 12-3 after three innings and DSC put up another four runs in the fourth. In that same inning, Academy of Art freshman first baseman Andy Caniezo came home on a wild pitch after hitting a single and AAU picked up a run of their own. Both teams were quiet for the next two innings before Dixie State scored one final time in the seventh against Vargas who was brought in to pitch the first inning of his career as a Knight.

Worley finished the doubleheader 4-for-7 with three runs scored, one run batted in, and one stolen base. Henderson was 2-for-5 with a walk and one run scored in the pair of games. Quinney had a solid outing on the mound in game one despite taking the loss while sophomore righty Alex Rosenthal (0-5) went three innings in the second game with 12 earned runs and two strikeouts.

In the two games, Dixie State centerfielder Brett Adams finished the day 3-for-9 with seven runs batted in, one home run, and four runs scored. Designated hitter Rhet Welsh added a 4-for-5 performance in the doubleheader with four runs scored and three RBIs. Righty Justin Prodan had the best day on the mound with two runs allowed over seven innings and nine strikeouts in the first game.

AAU continues its four-game series with the Red Storm tomorrow, Mar. 6 with a doubleheader beginning at a new start time of 10:00 AM. Both games will be held at Louis Guisto Field in Moraga, CA.