Tuesday, January 21, 1997
BASEBALL:
Alumni
players beat out young, talented ’97 squad, 4-2By Kristina
Wilcox
Daily Bruin Contributor
From professional ballplayers to retired pros, from lawyers to
professors, alumni of the UCLA baseball team converged on Jackie
Robinson Stadium Saturday to play some ball and catch up on the
news of old friends.
"It feels good to be back to see all my old buddies," said Adam
Melhuse, who will start the season at double-A Knoxville in the
Blue Jays’ organization.
Many of his colleagues felt the same way, saying that it felt
"weird," "good" and "phenomenal."
Among the most prominent alumni in attendance was Dodger first
baseman Eric Karros. He signed autographs and attended the
festivities, but did not play.
"They (the 1997 Bruins) have a lot of young talent," he
said.
This current Bruin squad showcased itself in the second game of
the doubleheader on Saturday. However, "old-timers" competed
against each other in a four-inning exhibition that was color
commentated by Bruin head coach Gary Adams.
"I’m the only one who can identify all of these guys by face,"
he said during the game.
The second game of the doubleheader lasted five innings and
featured the professional ballplayers competing against the current
Bruin squad. Led by the offense of Mike Mitchell and the defensive
skills of Dodger Todd Zeile, the alumni team beat the 1997 team,
4-2.
Bruin starting pitcher Jim Parque, who took the loss, looked
strong in over four innings, striking out five while allowing two
unearned runs on five hits.
The alumni did most of their damage in the second inning. After
an error and two singles loaded the bases, Tim DeCinces (UCLA’s
starting catcher last season) hit a two-RBI double.
Neither team managed another threat until the fifth inning, when
each team scored two runs. Torey Lovullo (Oakland) and Ryan McGuire
(Montreal) both took bases-loaded walks, driving in the remaining
two alumni runs.
The 1997 Bruins tried to make a comeback in the bottom of the
inning with a single by Mike Hymes and a sacrifice fly by Omar
Pinto. But, those were all the runs they could get across the
plate, and they fell, 4-2.
The second-ranked Bruins will open up the regular season
Thursday against Hawaii in Honolulu.