Irvine, CA --- Urban Knights baseball (0-5) suffered a tough 25-0 defeat at the hands of Concordia University (5-1) in the second installment of a two-game series on Saturday afternoon at Eagles Field. Junior left fielder Ryan Worley was 2-for-4 on the day while designated hitter Darnell Quinney and freshman first baseman Andy Caniezo were both 1-for-2 in the contest.

Worley began the game with a double, but was eventually left stranded at third base and the Eagles stepped to the plate. Concordia got on the board in the first inning with three hit batsmen and a two-run double. With the conclusion of the first two innings, CUI was up 7-0 on the Knights and the Eagles then added to their lead with seven more runs in the third.

“Well we got behind early with the three hit batters in the first, but everyone was very enthusiastic before the game,” Head Coach Brian Guinn. “[Concordia] was just finding holes against us. But we started hitting the ball well; it was just right at people. We're starting to come around though.”

Unfortunately for AAU, it was freshman right-handed starting pitcher Drew Sullivan-Hames (0-2) who would take the loss after allowing 11 earned runs in three innings of work. Sophomore left-hander Zach Mexicano came in to relieve Sullivan-Hames and struck out the Eagles' side in the fourth inning, but he was the victim of 10 earned runs in his two innings on the mound. Nevertheless, Mexicano achieved a new career-high with four strikeouts. CUI did most of its damage in the fifth when the home team scored six runs on six hits to give them a 20-0 advantage.

Freshman left-handed hurler Jeff Smith provided solid relief work in the final three innings by holding Concordia to just one run on four hits.

Worley was 2-for-4 in the contest with Academy of Art's only double which led off the game. Worley was backed by Quinney and Caniezo who combined to go 2-for-4 as well. Despite taking the loss, Sullivan-Hames posted two strikeouts and his counterparts Mexicano and Smith added four strikeouts.

Centerfielder Beau Poteet and left fielder Kyle Konieck were the Eagles' main offensive weapons. The pair combined for six runs scored, seven hits, and seven runs batted in. Left-hander Melvin Blackmon Jr. (1-0) allowed four hits over six innings of work with eight strikeouts in his start.

“We're going to go out there and battle,” Coach Guinn said. “We've just got to correct some things in practice and we will come out next week ready to go.”

The Academy of Art University baseball team returns to the field this Friday, Feb. 19 when it starts a three-game series with the Fresno Pacific University (CA) Sunbirds. The teams will play one game on Friday in Fresno, CA and then wrap things up with a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 20.