Monday, January 27, 1997
BASEBALL:
UCLA offense in paradise after scoring 45 runs vs. RainbowsBy
Kristina Wilcox
Daily Bruin Contributor
Southern Californians and the Hawaii baseball team had something
in common this weekend. They were both rained upon. While the
heavens poured rain on the Southland, the UCLA baseball squad
drenched the Rainbows with 45 runs in three games and a series
sweep.
On Thursday night, the Bruins tied a record for runs scored
against Hawaii during a 23-11 beating.
UCLA had 12 extra-base hits to garner a win in the opening game
of the season. Second baseman Nick Theodorou led the offensive
attack on Honolulu with 7 RBIs, as he went 2-for-5 with a grand
slam.
Troy Glaus, playing shortstop, had a perfect outing at the plate
with a 3-for-3 performance to go along with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs.
Backup first baseman Cassidy Olson, starting in place of the
injured Peter Zamora, went 3-for-5 with an RBI.
The Bruins scored one run in the first on Eric Valent’s RBI
single. They added five more runs in the second on an RBI single by
Jon Heinrichs, a run-scoring double by Eric Byrnes and a three-run
homer to left field by Glaus. But fellow Olympian Jim Parque had
trouble in the bottom half of the second.
After getting the first two batters he faced, the junior pitcher
had a hard time overcoming a throwing error by third baseman Aldo
Pinto on a routine grounder by Hawaii’s David Perreira.
The Rainbows went on to score four unearned runs on a
bases-loaded infield hit by Neal Honma, a two-run single to center
by Dan Masanda and a throwing error by catcher Mike Maramillo that
scored a stealing Honma from third to make it 6-4 after two.
But it wasn’t close for long. UCLA chased starting pitcher Robby
Robinson with a four-run barrage in the fourth. The key hits were a
run-scoring triple by Heinrichs, an RBIS double by Eric Byrnes and
a two-run double by Theodorou.
And the Bruin hitters broke it wide open in the fifth with six
runs. Theodorou and Heinrichs both hit home runs in the inning.
"I told our guys not to get a big head about this game," UCLA
head coach Gary Adams told the Honolulu Star-Bulletin after the
game. "We still have two left. I’d have to think (Ryan) McNally is
going to pitch and if he does, I can guarantee you we won’t score
23 runs in that game."
Lo and behold, the Bruins only scored 12 runs on Saturday
against McNally, who was sidelined on Thursday with a groin pull,
in their 12-8 victory. But in this game, as opposed to his start
against Miami, McNally was not spectacular. He gave up seven runs
in four innings.
Olson did well at the plate again, driving in three runs in
three at-bats, while Brett Nista started at shortstop in this game
and had three RBIs.
As for Friday, UCLA starter Tom Jacquez combined with Ryan
O’Toole to throw a one-hitter against the Rainbows. Jacquez went
eight innings, walked three and struck out four.
Valent and designated hitter Chad Matoian drove in three runs
each to give Jacquez some offensive support. Mike Jaramillo and
Byrnes had four RBIs between them.
In the eighth inning, Byrnes hit an inside-the-park home run in
front of the 1,373 disappointed Hawaii fans.
Rainbow head coach Les Murakami foresaw such a series from the
experienced Bruin squad.
"I knew these guys would be better than Miami of Florida,"
Murakami told the Star-Bulletin. "They have a lot of guys who have
played together three or four years."