San Francisco, Calif. (2/3/09) -- Across town at San Francisco State University's Maloney Field, Academy of Art University began its 2009 campaign with a 6-1 loss to the Gators. Junior right fielder Mike Guiterrez showed offensive consistency with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate while sophomore right-handed pitcher Darnell Quinney registered one hit and scored the Urban Knights' lone run in addition to pitching five and one third innings while striking out five batters.

AAU seemed to be feeling jitters in its historical first game, but after the Gators put two runners on in the bottom of the first inning, Academy of Art University got out of the jam with solid defense. Then the Knights answered back with singles by sophomore first baseman Chris Vargas and Guiterrez in the second inning. Unfortunately, they were unable to score and finished the inning with a strikeout.

A pair of walks and a hit batsman in the bottom of the second gave SFSU a 1-0 lead, but Quinney bore down and struck out the last Gator to keep it close. After reaching first base on a fielder's choice in the fourth inning, Quinney was determined to score. He promptly stole second and then reached third base following an infield single by Guiterrez.  Sophomore shortstop Van Hanson knocked in the very first RBI for Urban Knights baseball shortly thereafter with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

The contest would not stay tied for long because SF State scored two runs on wild pitches in the fifth inning and then got a triple that would eventually score in the sixth. A home run by Jake Moore in the seventh along with an error on junior catcher Florentino Ubungen in the eighth resulted in the final two SFSU scores of the game.

Overall, Academy of Art University held its own against host SF State with seven hits including a double by Guiterrez and five strikeouts between Quinney and junior right-handed pitcher Danny Couser. Quinney, who now holds a 0-1 record, allowed four runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out four.

The Gators rode impressive pitching from right-hander Pat Haugen who threw eight innings, allowing one run on six hits and struck out 10 Knights. Offensively, Moore led the way with his 2-for-4 day which included a solo home run.

With the loss, AAU drops to 0-1 on the season while SFSU improves to 1-0 overall.

The Urban Knights will now travel to Fresno, California, on Wednesday where they will face the Fresno Pacific Sunbirds in a doubleheader beginning at 2:00 PM.