Wednesday, 5/14/97 Bruins bow out with loss to CSUN BASEBALL:
Bruins bow out with loss to CSUN
By Tim Yun Daily Bruin Contributor It was the same old story as
the fourth-ranked Bruins lost yet another Tuesday night game, this
time to the Cal State Northridge Matadors (40-18-1) by a score of
12-6. "Northridge swung the bat very well, and we fell behind early
and could never catch up," assistant coach Vince Beringhele said.
Despite losing the season finale, the Bruins ended their season
with an incredible 40-18-1 record, placing the 1997 squad among the
best in school history. Although the night was disappointing for
the Bruins, there were several brights spots in the lineup. Senior
left fielder Jon Heinrichs continued to swing a hot bat as he went
five for five Tuesday night, extending his hitting streak to 19
games. Two of his five hits were home runs, giving him 26 for the
season. He hit a solo home run in the third inning, and then added
another solo blast in the bottom of the ninth. He was also busy on
the base paths, scoring four of the Bruins’ six runs. Junior Troy
Glaus provided another Bruin highlight by hitting his 31st home run
of the season in the bottom of the first inning. Glaus now has home
runs in five straight games, adding to his own UCLA single-season
home run record. The game did include some controversy. In the
bottom of the eighth inning, junior third baseman Brett Nista was
sent to the showers by the head umpire for arguing a called third
strike. The catcher dropped the ball on the play, but Nista was
called out nevertheless. "I have never seen that play called like
that," Beringhele said. "He (Nista) had a legitimate argument, but
that was just the way they called it." Bruin starting pitcher Dan
Keller (3-5) lasted only 1 1/3 innings as he surrendered six hits
and allowed five earned runs. For the Matadors, starter Erasmo
Ramirez (11-5) looked strong in eight innings of work. He was able
to scatter eleven hits for five earned runs. Closer Gary Stephenson
was able to hold on to the victory by getting the last two outs for
the Matadors. Although UCLA’s season ended in a loss, the Bruins
remain optimistic as they enter the regional playoffs. "The
postseason is a brand new season for us," Beringhele said. UCLA
Sports Info Dan Keller Previous Daily Bruin stories: Northridge
takes middle way to beat Bruins