Box Score #1
Box Score #2

Turlock, CA – In a Saturday afternoon doubleheader at Warrior Baseball Field, the Academy of Art University baseball team could not manage a victory against Cal State Stanislaus. CSUS took the first game 18-4 and followed with a 7-0 result in the second. Senior Darnell Quinney produced offensively by going 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored in the first contest before pitching a complete game two.

“Darnell is one of those exceptional athletes who can contribute on the mound, at the plate, as well as defensively,” Head Coach Brian Guinn said. “He did fantastic job today and you know he's always going to always be there. He's always going to battle and help us make plays.”

For the 26 runs of offense the teams put up on Friday, game one was a pitcher's duel through the first two innings. Junior right-handed starter Kallen Fletcher (0-1) worked quickly and efficiently to retire five of the first seven batters he faced. In the third, however, the Warriors were able to break the scoreless tie with a five-run burst.

“Kallen is one of those pitchers who will keep hitters off balance because he is a finesse guy,” Coach Guinn said, “As long as he's throwing strikes, he'll get through it. I thought he did a great job through first innings today.”

The Knights got one of those runs back in the fourth when a bunt single by Quinney set up sophomore infielder Stefen Henderson for a scoring opportunity. Henderson tripled to score Quinney, making the score 5-1 in favor of CSUS. After notching two triples all season in 2010, Henderson now already has his second in 2011.

“One thing about Stefen is that he is now a year older and has matured a lot,” Coach Guinn said. “He has gotten stronger and is really starting to put it together as a hitter. He's figuring things out now.”

Though the Warriors scored again in the fifth, Academy of Art put together another rally in the seventh inning, culminating in an RBI single by freshman Wade Broadstreet. Two more ART U runs came in the eighth by way of a single from junior outfielder Niko Leite and capitalization on a CSUS throwing error. Leite then further disrupted the Warriors' rhythm with a steal and a score on another error.

In the end, Stanislaus held on to its lead and captured the 18-4 victory. For his first start of the season, Fletcher (0-1) pitched 3.0 innings, allowing eight runs on six hits with one strikeout. Junior right-hander Brandon Kistler gave the Knights 4.0 relief innings with three strikeouts.


Game two began much like the first with a quick scoreless first inning. In the second, however, CSUS strung together hits for a three-run rally to get on the board. They added two more in the third and the advantage would last to the contest's conclusion.

 Leite led off the Knights' second inning with a single and two runners were on after a walk to Henderson. The possibility unfortunately did not bear fruit as Stanislaus was able to register the next three outs before a score. Leite and senior outfielder Johnathan Robbins each had hits in the game for ART U, but a strong pitching performance from Warriors starter Ryan Vander Tuig (1-0) limited the Knights' offense.

“I do have to give [Ryan Vander Tuig] credit today because he really pitched a great game and stifled our hitting,” Coach Guinn said.

Providing Academy of Art offensive in game one, Quinney finished the day 2-for-6 with a stolen base and a run scored. Quinney (0-1) also finished his first start of the year with seven runs allowed (four earned) on eight hits with two strikeouts over a complete 6.0 innings of work. Henderson completed the day 1-for-6 with his RBI triple and a run scored. Leite added a 2-for-6 performance over the two games with a stolen base and a run scored of his own. Broadstreet had an RBI in the game as well. Academy of Art drops to 0-5 on the season.

Cal State Stanislaus had its top offensive production come from Casey Filkins. The Warriors outfielder was 4-for-7 with seven RBIs and three runs scored in the doubleheader. Game one's winning pitcher was starter Chris Short (1-0) who lasted 6.2 innings and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits with eight strikeouts.  Vander Tuig was the winner in the second contest, pitching 7.0 innings with no runs allowed on two hits and nine strikeouts. The Warriors now have a 5-0 record this season.

Sunday, Feb. 13 will feature the conclusion of this series between Academy of Art and Cal State Stanislaus. The teams will play a single game scheduled to begin at 12:00 PM at Warrior Baseball Field.