Monday, April 15, 1996
Bruins drop two of three games while ‘SC climbs aheadBy Yoni
Tamler
Daily Bruin Staff
Same pitiful team, same pitiful result.
Confounding both itself and all those in attendance, the No. 10
UCLA baseball team dropped two of three games to cellar-dweller
Arizona this weekend at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
The season series puts the Bruins at 2-4 against Arizona (22-24,
6-15 Six-Pac). Worse, it widened the chasm between the Bruins and
first-place USC, who twice defeated Stanford this weekend for a
three-game lead in the Six-Pac.
"They play well when they play us  you’d never think they
were the last-place team, that’s for sure," UCLA head coach Gary
Adams said.
Sunday’s 5-4 final was a heart-breaking loss for UCLA, who
seemed apathetic for most of the day under the 90-degree weather in
Los Angeles.
With Pete Zamora starting for the Bruins, Arizona jumped out in
front with four runs. The lead could have been more after a ball
hit clearly fair down the third base line was ruled foul.
The Bruins answered in the sixth, getting all four runs back on
homers by Tim DeCinces and Zamora. Zamora’s towering shot over
right-center was his third career home run against the
Wildcats.
The game stayed tied at four through the ninth into extra
innings, where UCLA is now 0-4 on the season. With Kevin Sheredy
pitching in the 10th, Arizona had runners at the corners with one
out when Jeff Gjerde (55 RBIs) grounded into what appeared to be a
routine double play. Instead, UCLA was unable to turn two, and the
Wildcats scored the game winner.
"We didn’t make the plays we should have," Adams said following
the loss. "Everybody could have done better, period."
"They get flare hits all day and we hit balls at people, and
then when it comes time to win the game we don’t execute the things
we practice," DeCinces said.
Saturday’s game was a slugfest and nothing but, with Arizona
winning handily, 19-13.
On offense, Troy Glaus, DeCinces and Benny Craig each homered
for UCLA, Craig’s dinger his second such pinch-hit of the season.
Shortstop Jack Santora also had a field day at the plate, going
five-for-five with an RBI and four runs scored.
Arizona answered the Bruins and then some. The Wildcats were so
immune to UCLA pitching that each of the five Bruin pitchers gave
up earned runs.
But in Friday’s opener, everything went according to schedule
for UCLA in a 4-3 victory. The Bruins received eight superb innings
from Jim Parque (8-0), who has now defeated every team in the
Six-Pac at least once this season.
Sheredy collected his school-record seventh save despite giving
up two runs in the ninth inning. The game would be UCLA’s (23-15,
14-7 Six-Pac) only win of the weekend, a fact which defies
explanation.
"We really talked about not overlooking them. I think our guys
think they’re a pretty good team."
Not so said DeCinces.
"It seems like when we play good teams we play smart and when we
play bad teams we play down to their level," reasoned DeCinces.
"They’re not a good team."
Adams was quick to point out that back in 1980, UCLA defeated
Arizona five out of the six times they met, and the Wildcats ended
up winning the national championship that year.
Saturday’s game was a slugfest and nothing but, with Arizona
winning handily, 19-13.
FRED HE/Daily Bruin
Shortstop Jack Santora went five-for-five, scored four runs and
knocked in another on Saturday, but it was still not enough in
UCLA’s 19-13 loss to Arizona at Jackie Robinson Stadium.