Wednesday, February 12, 1997
BASEBALL:
Exemplary offense, defense and pitching key victoryBy Kristina
Wilcox
Daily Bruin Contributor
What a great way for the University of San Diego baseball team
to get its home season underway. UCLA treated the obliging hosts
just like the Bruins have treated a few other opponents thus far
into the season. UCLA trounced the Toreros on Tuesday, 7-1.
Offense, pitching and defense all came together for the Bruins
(10-1-1) during this uneven contest.
The offense got to work right off the bat against Torero starter
Brian Mazone (0-2).
Leftfielder Jon Heinrichs (2-for-4, 1 RBI) led off the first
inning with a double, which was followed by rightfielder Eric
Byrnes’ walk. Two outs later, second baseman Nick Theodorou hit a
two-RBI double, scoring Heinrichs and Byrnes. Theodorou now has 19
RBI on the season.
In the third inning, centerfielder Eric Valent (2-for-5, 3 RBI)
increased the the Bruin lead to 4-0 with a two-out, two-run home
run. Of his 25 RBI this season, 13 have come with two outs in the
inning.
Heinrichs led off the fifth with his career-high fifth homer. He
has set that career high in only 12 games.
USD reliever Mark Vallecorsa silenced the Bruin bats for two
innings before being replaced by Mike Amundson in the eighth.
In the ninth, Heinrichs and Byrnes started the inning by getting
on base yet again. With one out, Valent drove in Heinrichs on a
single. First baseman Peter Zamora (3-for-5) followed with an RBI
double, knocking in Byrnes. With three hits in the game, Zamora is
currently hitting .706 (12-for-17).
Bruin starting pitcher Dan Keller (2-0) was very sharp against
the Toreros, as he allowed just four hits and walked none. He and
the three relievers who followed him retired the side in every
inning except for the sixth, when USD centerfielder Juna Garcia
knocked in the lone Torero run with an RBI single.
The defense was flawless this time around, as the infield turned
two double plays. They have turned 19 double plays on the
season.
UCLA Sports Info
Starting pitcher Dan Keller