GAME #30
AAU Urban Knights (0-29) vs. Chico State Wildcats (28-19)
Tuesday, Apr. 21, 2009 at 6:00 PM
Chico State, Nettleton Stadium

Game Notes

SEASON FINALE:
Academy of Art University baseball will conclude its 2009 campaign on the evening of Tuesday, Apr. 21 against the Division II baseball giant that is Chico State. The first pitch is set for 6:00 PM at the Wildcats' Nettleton Stadium.

SCOUTING THE WILDCATS:
After losing to Sonoma State in the NCAA Championship Finals last season, Chico State began 2009 by winning three games against Western Oregon University before evening out and then taking six of its first eight contests in CCAA play. In late March, the Wildcats, now ranked No. 4 in the West Region, defeated Hawaii Pacific, one of AAU's opponents this season, in four games while scoring an average of 11.75 runs in the series. Most recently, Chico State took four games from the PacWest's Grand Canyon by an average of 10 runs per contest. Junior first baseman Kevin Seaver has a team-leading .416 batting average on the season, but he has not played in 10 games this season and senior catcher/first baseman Josh Meagher paces the squad with 14 home runs, 15 doubles, and 118 total bases. On the pitching mound, senior right-hander Joel Garcia holds a 7-2 record, a 3.53 ERA, and five complete games. Behind Garcia, sophomore righty Pete Mickartz (6-3) has a 5.05 ERA and a team-best 68 strikeouts.

CAL POLY POMONA WEEKEND SERIES:
The final two contests of the weekend's three-game series with the Broncos at Scolinos Field appeared to be the first wins for Urban Knights baseball this season, but late-game rallies by Cal Poly Pomona were the difference. The results of Friday's doubleheader were a 10-3 loss in which junior right-handed pitcher Matthew Ko (0-7) threw well until the sixth inning when he was tagged for four runs and a 8-5 defeat where AAU got on top of CPP early and fell victim to a second six-run sixth. Then on Sunday, the Knights went back-and-forth with Pomona to eventually take an 8-6 lead into the eighth when the Broncos unloaded seven runs and took the victory. Overall, Academy of Art University out-hit Cal Poly Pomona 34-25 in the series while sophomore third baseman Chris Vargas was 6-for-12 with three RBIs and four runs scored. Senior catcher Florentino Ubungen finished the series 6-for-11 (including a 4-for-4 performance in game two) with two RBIs and three runs scored. Updating a previous report, junior first baseman Mike Gutierrez, after his 5-for-11 weekend at the plate, now has a 10-game hitting streak heading into the season finale. Despite a rough series for AAU's relief pitching, the Knights did recieve strong outings from freshman right-hander Edgar Zelaya (0-2) and sophomore righty Darnell Quinney (0-7).