Box Score #1
Box Score #2

Oakland, CA – With an incredible nine-run inning that tied a program record, the Academy of Art University baseball team prevailed 11-6 in the opener of a Saturday doubleheader against Grand Canyon. In game two, GCU rallied late to earn a 4-3 victory in the series finale, but ART U had much to be proud of on its Senior Day which featured the team's final home games of 2011. Outfielder Ryan Worley turned in a 3-for-8 performance with three runs batted in, three runs scored, and three stolen bases on the day. In addition, the combination of Alex Rosenthal and Darnell Quinney pitched the Urban Knights to their sixth PacWest victory of the year.

“The seniors are the ones who lead the way and we want to give them the opportunities to show the young guys what they need to do to be successful,” Head Coach Brian Guinn said. “Worley, Quinney, and Rosie all did a tremendous job and showed senior leadership today.”

After the Antelopes took a two-run lead in the first inning of game one, Academy of Art got on the board with a run in the third. Worley provided a key groundout to plate sophomore infielder Stefen Henderson who had led off with a single. Grand Canyon then rallied for three more in the sixth and appeared to have control of the ballgame with a 5-1 advantage. That was all, however, before the Knights came to bat.

 In ART U's sixth inning nine-run explosion, a total of 11 Urban Knights reached base, beginning with singles by junior infielders Zach Babitt and Kenny Rollins, Jr. along with walks to junior outfielder Johnathan Robbins and Quinney. The RBIs then started rolling in with a sacrifice fly for junior outfielder Niko Leite, a clutch two-run double by Worley, a RBI single off freshman catcher James Singzon's bat to extend his hitting streak, and later a two-run double for Rollins, Jr. Babitt and Rollins, Jr. each went 2-for-2 with two runs scored apiece in the inning alone.

“We're definitely capable of scoring like that,” Coach Guinn said. “The kids stayed patient and you saw them start to pick out some good pitches to swing at and find some holes.”

Always important to shut down the opponent in the inning following a lengthy rally, Academy of Art blanked GCU not only in the seventh, but in the eighth inning as well. Rosenthal had given his squad 5.2 innings on the mound in which he allowed just three earned runs and struck out two. As the Knights maintained their momentum into the final innings, a sizeable group of ART U faithful continued to show its support for the home team.

“I think [the crowd] was our tenth man today in helping give the kids encouragement and an edge,” Coach Guinn said. “With a crowd like that, we'll have more opportunities to win games because the kids really responded.”

Late in the game, it was Quinney who pitched the final 3.1 innings, surrendering only one run and scattering five hits to earn his second win of the season. Rollins, Jr. helped ART U add one more in the eighth via a RBI double which would negate the visitors' ninth inning score and led to the 11-6 Knights' victory.

“We had good pitching performances again,” Coach Guinn said. “We also played pretty good defense and swung bats pretty well today. There was some clutch hitting and we were just solid defensively.”


ART U and GCU each scored a single run in the first inning of game two and that tie score was maintained through the fifth. The Knights' tying run came from a dynamic setup by Worley who singled on the first pitch he saw and promptly stole second. After reaching third on a wild pitch, Babitt cashed Worley in on a groundout that proved to be particularly significant early in this game.

“With these being his final home games in an ART U uniform, I think Worley raised his level of play and was really focused,” Coach Guinn said. “He wanted to go out with a bang and certainly did.”

Junior righty Kallen Fletcher propelled Academy of Art through the first portion of the contest by keeping Grand Canyon off the scoreboard for four consecutive innings. In the fifth, Fletcher was efficient with a pickoff of the runner at first who reached on a single and then two more quick outs.

“Kali had the hitters off-balance after he found a rhythm and he hit his spots,” Coach Guinn said. “When he does that, he can be tough to hit. His pitches had lots of good movement today and he was getting the fly balls and pop-ups he needed.”

Midway through the Knights' half of the sixth, Worley and Singzon stood in scoring position for Babitt. The junior singled a 1-0 pitch through the right side to score both runners and put ART U ahead 3-1. A chance to close out the contest fell through, however, as GCU pushed across three additional runs in the seventh and held on for an extremely close 4-3 win.

“We have an interesting team because we're young so we'll make mistakes,” Coach Guinn said. “We have to keep learning and building up the confidence because the kids are continuing to believe they can win games right now.”

Three different Urban Knights had three-RBI games on Saturday. Worley and Rollins, Jr. each knocked in three in the opener where Worley was 2-for-5 with a double, a run, and a stolen base and Rollins, Jr. was 4-for-5 with a double and a run. Babitt, who scored three times in his 3-for-5 game one, added three RBIs in the second contest and was 1-for-3. Singzon, Robbins, and Quinney each drove in a run and scored a run in game one while the 3-for-5 day Leite had increased his current hitting streak to five games.

On the topic of hitting streaks, Singzon's historic ride came to an end on Saturday. His 13-game feat was extended in the opener with a 1-for-5 outing and now goes down as the new ART U program record. However, the walk he earned in game two keeps his streak of reaching base alive as it is currently at 14 game consecutive games.

For the Antelopes, infielder Ernesto Ortiz had a 3-for-9 day with a home run, three RBIs, and two runs. Reliever William Armijo (1-2) was dealt the loss in the opener after allowing five runs on four hits in 0.2 innings on the mound. The GCU winning pitcher in game two was Coltin White (6-3) who went 7.0 innings with three runs allowed on five hits and 10 strikeouts.

With the conclusion of its final home series of 2011, Academy of Art is on the road for two games against #21 UC San Diego on Apr. 22-23.

“We will take each game and team inning by inning and day by day,” Coach Guinn said. “Every team has to throw ball over the plate so if we play well defensively and swing the bats, we're capable of beating anyone.”