Northridge takes middle way to beat Bruins
Matadors’ line drives and defensive strength clinch baseball
victory
By Yoni Tamler
Daily Bruin Contributor
The UCLA baseball team’s season opener against Cal State
Northridge (2-0, 1-0) was a figurative Tootsie Pop. Both teams
licked away at each other in futility until the top of the eighth,
when Northridge lost patience and bit into UCLA closer Rick
Heineman, thereby winning the game, 3-1.
Heineman’s gas was met by crisp line drives up the middle from
the heart of the Matador lineup. When the carnage was over,
Northridge had a 3-1 lead with one out and runners at the
corners.
Thankfully for the Bruins, newly-acquired Kevin Sheredy relieved
Heineman and shut the Matadors out for the remaining one and
two-thirds innings. But CSUN’s defense reciprocated in the last two
innings, and the Bruins came up with their first loss of the
season.
"We had to play a perfect game tonight in terms of executing,"
UCLA head coach Gary Adams said, "because their pitcher pitched a
great ball game. I still think we should have beat them,
though."
For seven long innings Tuesday, the UCLA and Cal State
Northridge baseball teams idled in defense, mutually at the mercy
of one another’s starting pitchers. For UCLA, it was sophomore Jim
Parque who blew 90 mile-an-hour fastballs by the Matadors for most
of the game. For Northridge, it was staff ace Robby Crabtree who
humbled the Bruin bats, earning just one run on six hits.
"We started a lot of two-out rallies, spreading out most of our
hits," UCLA batting coach Vince Beringhele said. "We didn’t bunch
two or three hits in a row."
Oh, how they tried. UCLA sent balls to the warning track
multiple times but Northridge outfielders were right under them.
Players reached base nearly every inning, only to be stranded
there, as UCLA left six runners on base in the game.
In fact, Northridge was equally ineffective in the clutch
through most of the night, notwithstanding its rally late in the
game.
"They got a base hit into left center field with the bases
loaded, and that was the one key hit of the night," Adams said. "We
tried to drive runners in, but it just didn’t happen."
Two bright spots in the game were the performances of Parque and
third baseman Zac Ammirato. Plaugued by the no-decision his
freshman year, Parque again emerged without a decision for his
four-hit, one earned run effort.
Ammirato extended his hitting streak from last season to 20
games, singling three times in four trips to the plate.
FRED HE/Daily Bruin
Bruin pitcher Jim Parque threw fastballs against CSUN.
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