Cats Up 6-0 Early, then ASU Comes back to lead 8-6...before Plante's Grand Slam gives Cats dramatic victory

The Arizona Wildcats had a very busy and dramatic few days. They lost to Cal on Friday, then on Saturday they beat the Bears behind the strong arm of Senior Brad Mills. Then the second game was called due to darkness. It was continued early Sunday morning, but it only lasted 15 minutes as Freshmen Cory Burns served up a walk-off solo homerun to the Bears, as the Cats lost the game 4-3 in 13 innings. One would have thought that they would be down in the dumps, but not this Wildcat team. As Coach Andy Lopez said about this year's team: "They may not be the most talented, but they try harder, every game, out of any team I have ever coached, and I think that showed this weekend, especially here tonight against ASU". In the first two innings, the Cats did not miss a beat jumping on #12 ASU 6-0 through the first two innings. And Ryan Perry was pitching very well in a first career start, until errors and missed plays, plagued him, as he left in the 5th inning with a 6-4 lead. But the Devils kept chipping away at the lead, and eventually took the lead 7-6 in the 6th inning, and then added another run in the 7th. Then in the 8th, the Cats woke up. Bill Rhineheart brought home catcher Matt Denker, on a long sacrifice fly to center field. Then ASU coach called upon left fielder, and #1 starter Ike Davs to shut down the rally. after a single and a hit batter, Davis was returned to left field. In came closer Zechry Zinicola. He was known for his fastball, and it came ino play in this inning. His first pitch hit Colt Sedbrook, then to the plate came DH David Plante. "I knew he relied on his fastball, so I sat there waiting" with the count 1-1, Zinicola pitched a low fastball, and Plante launched it over the right-center field wall, giving the Cats the lead 11-8 on the grand slam. It was a dramatic, and fitting way for the weekend to culminate. But the game was not over. Wildcats pitcher Daniel Schlareth was also key in the victory, as he pitched 2 1/3 shutout innings, in which he struck out 7 of the 8 batters he faced. This is just the type of victory that this Wildcat team needed to turn their season around, and make a run in the Pac-10. They face the Beavers of Oregon State this weekend, in Corvallis, for a 3-game set, and then return to Tucson, next weekend for a 3-gamer vs. the bRuins of UCLA.

Posted by at 02:28 PM on April 06, 2006
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Melancon to move to Friday starting spot; Cats Defense much improved

Article courtesy of the Daily Wildcat

Down 5-3 with two outs in the sixth inning of their rubber match with University of California-Riverside, the Arizona baseball team needed a spark.

With the bases loaded with Wildcats, freshman right fielder Jon Gaston walked to push junior catcher Konrad Schmidt across the plate and cut the Highlanders lead to 5-4. But it wasn't until senior third baseman Brad Boyer stepped to the plate that Arizona found its igniter.

Driving a 1-1 pitch from Highlanders redshirt sophomore lefty Dan Runzler to left, Boyer scored freshman first baseman Brad Glenn and freshman centerfielder T.J. Steele, and gave Arizona its second lead of the game at 6-5.

"That's something where I love to be in those situations, where it's heat of the moment," Boyer said. "It's something that I really thrive on."

The Wildcats (4-2) would go on to add five more in the ninth and cruise to an 11-5 victory over the Highlanders (4-3) at Riverside Sports Complex.

Arizona and Riverside split the first two games of the weekend, with the Highlanders taking the Friday game, 8-5, and the Wildcats rebounding on Saturday, 4-2.

If Boyer, who finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, provided the spark in yesterday's sixth, freshman center fielder T.J. Steele opened the throttle the whole way for Arizona in the top half of the ninth, when his second triple of the year scored senior left fielder Derek Decater and pinch-runner Hunter Pace, a freshman outfielder.

Steele himself motored the entire way around the bases as well when Riverside sophomore third baseman Aaron Wible was charged with an error, allowing the Tucson native to extend the Wildcat lead to four, 9-5.

"I was just happy we won the game, so it doesn't really matter for me, but as a team, it was good that … we got the win," Steele said.

Arizona had 13 hits on the day in all, three of which came from Glenn, while four other Wildcats had at least two hits. On top of that, six Wildcat batters were hit by pitches in the game, tying a school record.

Furthermore, the bullpen continued to be a strong point for Arizona, as it worked 11 2/3 solid innings over the weekend - including four scoreless in yesterday's win - and outside of freshman pitcher Preston Guilmet, didn't allow a run in the series.

One member of that bullpen, junior closer Mark Melancon (1-0), will be moved into a Friday starting role next week. He made his case over the weekend as he pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings Saturday, striking out five while allowing two hits and walking one in picking up his first win of the season.

"We'll see how it goes, we still have a month and a half before Pac-10 play, so it's a not a situation that's in cement," said Arizona head coach Andy Lopez. "Mark Melancon deserves to be a Friday night guy, and he pitched like a Friday night guy on Saturday in relief, so we'll go that route."

Redshirt freshman lefty Daniel Schlereth made a case of his own over the weekend, only his was to replace Melancon in the closer's role. Working 3 2/3 innings over the weekend, he surrendered only two hits, and yesterday he struck out five of the nine batters he faced en route to his second save of the season.

"Daniel's done a great job in the pen, so we're going to leave him in that closing role, and let him run there for a while and see if he can continue to do a good job with that thing," Lopez said. "So far, so good."

Added Steele: "Schlereth is the man at this point. He's dominating."

As part of the switch in rotation, former Friday starter Eric Berger, a sophomore left-hander, will be moved to Saturday."It's not necessarily that Eric Berger has done anything poor, it's just that we really need a little bit more of a performance on Friday night," Lopez said. "Mark has been here in the program for three years, so he deserves it." The Sunday spot has yet to be determined, Lopez said, but it will come down to freshman righty Mike Colla and junior lefty Brad Mills, who picked up the win in his first career start yesterday. "They both deserve to pitch in that spot, but only one can do that," Lopez said.

Posted by at 11:10 PM on February 13, 2006
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Melancon sets U of A saves record, could be moved to starting roation in coming weeks
Despite winning two of three this past weekend here at home, there are still many questions to be answered for the 2006 U of A Baseball team. One of which is that there defense in the infield, is very questionable after comitting 11 errors, including 6 by veterans Brad Boyer and Jason Donald. Also, the starters struggled mightily, with no one starter making it more than 4 innings. Berger, Friday night's starter allowed 5 runs, but only one of which was earned. And closer Mark Melancon, who has been rumored to be moved to the starting rotation, set the U of A saves record with the save on Saturday. Offensively, the Wildcats were good, clawing their way back in each of the two wins. I must say that the new players such as 1B Stephen Pearson, C Konrad Schmidt, and outfielders Jon Gaston, TJ Steele, and Brad Glenn. Gaston, hit a towering home run over the right field fence onto 6th Street, on his first career collegiate pitch. But Schmidt, who performed very admirably at the plate, dropped many pitches behind the plate, often allowing LMU runners to advance.
And the Hot Corner, the Zona Zoo student section at baseball games, was rowdy at times, and quite funny. Telling leadoff man DeAundre Miller to get new gloves, referring to his very dirty batting gloves. And as the season rolls along, I expect them to get rowdier, and possibly even more creative with teh heckling. But, if you are a student, if you enter the Hot Corner, you better put 110% into heckling, or you will be ridiculed and asked to leave. So dont say I didnt warn you.
The Wildcats continue their quest for Omaha this weekend, when they travel to Riverside for a three-game set to face off against the Highlanders. They return to Tucson, the 18th of February for a two-game homestand against the New Mexico Lobos.

Posted by at 07:43 PM on February 06, 2006
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New Sancet Stadium includes a new scoreboard, video board, grass seating, and a picnic area.

The baseball field at the U of A has always been nice, but it hasnt been a "ballpark". And with these recent additions, the Baseball program has taken a huge step in getting it to that elite level of college baseball ballparks. With the seating in left and right field now converted to grass to provide fans and students with a more relaxed seasting option, and very nice for those warm Sunday afternoon games. But the biggest change will be the items just beyond the right field fence. There will be a new scoreboard, which will include a video board--although it is unknown if the school will provide instant replay or not. To the right of that there will be a billboard listing the team's accomplishments--similar to LSU's the intimidator. Coach Andy Lopez said that it is something that can give the Cats a psychological edge with opposing teams having to look at there accomplishments over the years for three days. And on the left field fence will be a list of former UA players who have been named All-Americans, and players who have moved on to the majors. So all-in-all, when the WIldcats open the season against the Lions of LMU at the end of February, Frank Sancet Stadium will be a much different place. And a place that hopefully the Tucson community will come to love and give its full support to.

For more on the improvements to Arizona's baseball stadium:
http://azstarnet.com/sn/wildcats/111512

Posted by at 12:36 PM on January 16, 2006
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