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Baseball takes on red-hot Pepperdine

By Daily Bruin Staff

April 4, 1995 9:00 p.m.

Baseball takes on red-hot Pepperdine

Waves have won 12 of last 13 games,

Thomas Jacques to start for Bruins

By Ruben Gutierrez

The Waves are on fire, and the UCLA baseball team travels to
Pepperdine today hoping to extinguish their red-hot winning
streak.

The Bruins (17-15 overall) will travel to Malibu this afternoon
to face the Waves, winners of 12 of their last 13 games. Pepperdine
(19-11-1) is currently ranked 27th in the nation by the Collegiate
Baseball publication.

Offensively, Pepperdine is led by center fielder Ryan
Christenson, a .353 hitter who leads the team with 41 hits, 15 of
them for extra bases, including four home runs. Gerardo Gonzalez, a
designated hitter who is sometimes utilized as a first baseman,
leads the team in RBIs with 27, and has also added nine doubles and
six dingers. Left fielder David Newhan is leading the team in
homers, however, tallying seven on the season, to go along with a
.343 average and 25 RBIs.

The Waves also feature a solid pitching staff. Freshman southpaw
Randy Wolf is 3-1 on the season, with a 2.25 earned run average.
Wolf has 39 strikeouts in 48 innings of work and has limited
opponents to a .199 batting average. Right hander Eric Brubaker is
6-1 with one save and a 0.96 ERA. Brubaker has appeared in 17 games
out of the bullpen for Pepperdine.

"The team is playing exceptionally well right now, and I hope
that we can get even better as the season progresses," Pepperdine
head coach Pat Harrison said. "With a few exceptions, the pitching
has been solid all season, and I am pleased with the improvement we
have shown at the plate and with our team defense. This is an
important week for us, and we want to continue the positive
momentum."

UCLA’s own offense has been bolstered lately by the insertion of
second baseman Chad Matoian in to the starting lineup. Matoian,
batting .367 replaces freshman Brett Nista, an excellent defensive
player who has struggled from the plate at times. Nista is still
utilized as the top utility player of the Bruins, pinch-running
when necessary and learning to switch-hit, while still seeing time
at second base and occasionally at first base when regular starter
Pete Zamora goes to the mound.

Catcher Tim DeCinces was named the Six-Pac Player of the Week
for the week of March 27-April 2. DeCinces went eight for 13 from
the plate last week, hitting .615, with two doubles, seven RBI, six
walks and two sacrifice flies. DeCinces is leading or tied for the
team lead in nine categories.

Freshman Thomas Jacquez will be the Bruin starter today. Jacquez
has appeared in four games and is currently 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA. He
will face Pepperdine starter Jason LeBlanc, who brings in a 1-2
record and an identical 5.40 ERA.

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