Monday, April 20, 1998
Sweep will keep UCLA home for postseason
BASEBALL: Arizona State captures series, destroys Bruin hopes
for playoffs
By Kristina Wilcox
Daily Bruin Staff
In an important conference series at Phoenix, the UCLA Bruins
(18-27, 10-17 in Six-Pac) lost all three games to No. 16 Arizona
State, ruining the Bruins’ hopes for postseason play.
Friday featured strong offensive play by both teams, but the Sun
Devils were the triumphant ones, winning 19-10. ASU (31-14, 17-6)
scored in every inning but the eighth. Leading the way for Arizona
State at the plate was junior Andrew Beinbrink, who went 3-for-4
with four RBI and three runs scored. Dan Meier hit his fourth home
run of the season on the way to a 4-for-6 night. Three other ASU
players had three RBI apiece off the struggling UCLA pitching
staff.
Providing most of the Bruin offense were Brett Nista and Nick
Theodorou. Both hitters went 3 for 4, and combined for six RBI.
Starting pitcher Paul Diaz (1-3) took the loss, allowing eight
earned runs on eleven hits in four innings.
Last week’s Six-Pac pitcher of the week Ryan Mills (6-3) labored
in his Friday outing against UCLA but still came away with the win.
He went 5 2/3 innings, giving up 11 hits and eight earned runs.
ASU’s winning streak against conference teams continued on
Saturday with their 8-7 victory over the Bruins. The streak stands
at 11 straight wins against Six-Pac opponents.
ASU’s Jeremy Jones’ two-run double in the bottom of the sixth
inning tied the game, but the Bruins came back with a solo run in
the top of the seventh. ASU countered with two more runs to take
the lead for good.
Freshman Casey Myers led the Sun Devils with a 3-for-3 outing,
driving in three runs and scoring three times as well.
UCLA’s Eric Valent hit his second homer of the series, moving
his season total to 23 and career mark to 62 homers. That tied the
Pac-10 and UCLA record previously set by Troy Glaus (1995-7).
Garrett Atkins got the requisite hit, his first triple of the
season, to extend his hitting streak to 28 games.
Ryan Carter started the game on the mound for the Bruins, but it
was reliever Jon Brandt (1-5) who was saddled with the loss. He
went two-plus innings, giving up three earned runs on five hits.
ASU reliever Aaron Kramer (6-2) picked up the victory. The Sun
Devils won the season finale between the two teams, 18-4.