St. George, UT --- The Urban Knights (2-24 overall, 2-14 in PacWest) wrapped up their PacWest road series against Dixie State College (21-9 overall, 14-6 in PacWest) with a pair of losses, 17-3 and 5-2, on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore centerfielder Johnathan Robbins had four hits in the two games with one run scored at Bruce Hurst Field. Sophomore third baseman Kenny Rollins, Jr. added one RBI and one run scored with his 2-for-6 performance on the day.

The teams exchanged two scoreless innings in game one before Academy of Art had a scoring chance in the third inning. Freshman shortstop Stefen Henderson walked and Robbins then got his teammate to third on a double to left center, but Dixie State induced two fly outs and thus ended the opportunity.

A four-run third and 13-run fifth came next for the Red Storm's offense, making the score 17-0 in favor of the home team. Right-handed reliever Kallen Fletcher pitched a strong fifth with just 12 pitches and AAU backed him up with a scoring rally in the sixth.

Rollins, Jr. earned a two-out walk and a double from junior designated hitter Darnell Quinney put two runners in scoring position. Sophomore Quintin Hawkins came to the plate as a pinch hitter and singled a 2-2 pitch down the right field line to bring home both Rollins, Jr. and Quinney. Later in the inning, sophomore catcher Brandon Kistler plated Hawkins on a RBI single. Dixie State was now up 17-3 and the Red Storm would hold on to that advantage until the final out in the seventh.

Freshman righty Jeff Smith (0-2) made his first start as an Urban Knight and wound up with the loss after allowing 11 runs (five earned) on nine hits with one strikeout over 3.1 innings on the mound. Finishing the game was Fletcher who threw 2.2 innings and allowed six runs on four hits with one strikeout.

Sophomore right fielder Alex Rosenthal hit the first triple of his Urban Knight career to lead off the second and give AAU an advantage in game two. He would score during the next at-bat when a wild pitch was thrown and Academy of Art took a 1-0 score into the bottom of the second.

Unfortunately for the Knights, Dixie State came back with five runs on three hits in the second inning. Quinney (0-5), the AAU starter in game two, bounced back with just two hits allowed over the next two innings, but the Red Storm lead continued to hold up. Academy of Art cut the margin down with a bunt single by Robbins and an RBI double by Rollins, Jr. shortly thereafter.

Quinney pitched 5.2 innings for Academy of Art in game two, allowing five runs (three earned) on nine hits with three strikeouts. He had a strong outing despite taking the loss. Lefty reliever Zach Mexicano came on to get the final out for AAU and did so with a strikeout on four pitches.

The top Knights offensive performers were Robbins and Rollins, Jr. who combined to go 6-for-12 with two runs scored, two doubles, and one run batted in. Hawkins' two RBIs in the opening game were his first since joining Academy of Art last season. Quinney had one double in five at-bats and scored one of AAU's five runs while Kistler had one RBI on Saturday.

Centerfielder Brett Adams and designated hitter Chase Pittsenbarger provided much of the offense for the Red Storm. The pair had two home runs, eight RBIs, and four runs scored. Preston Grimes (4-3) started game one and picked up the win with 5.0 innings of two-hit ball and four strikeouts. On the mound in the second game, Bryce Anderson (2-0) took home the victory after allowing one run on three hits with four strikeouts.

Academy of Art University baseball will now return to the Bay Area for a four-game series against the University of Hawaii-Hilo. The Knights and Vulcans get started on Tuesday, Mar. 30 beginning at 12:00 PM. The doubleheaders on Tuesday and Wednesday will take place at Louis Guisto Baseball Field on the campus of St. Mary's College in Moraga, CA.