Baseball: Shockers strike another blow to Bruin baseball
By David Graham-Caso
May 5, 2004 9:00 p.m.
For the second night in a row, clutch hitting by Wichita State
slugger Drew Moffitt bested the UCLA baseball team.
The day after singling home the winning run, the Shocker senior
gave fans an encore performance Wednesday evening at Eck
Stadium.
With UCLA leading 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning and the
bases full, Moffitt sent a two-out single into centerfield to plate
two Shockers. The Shockers eventually extended their lead to 10-3
and handed the Bruins their second loss of the two-game road
trip.
“We came here to win,” coach Gary Adams said.
“We didn’t do our job, and that is
disappointing.”
Before dipping six pitchers deep into the bullpen, UCLA got an
impressive outing from Daniel Miltenberger. In his first start of
the season, he worked four-and-one-third innings, striking out
two.
“Daniel pitched well today,” Adams said. “The
way he pitched today, we could have won this game.”
With one gone in the fifth inning and runners at the corners,
Adams called for lefty Daniel Reid to face pinch hitter Derrick
Shermerhorn.
It would not be the last time that Adams would take a trip to
the mound. After giving up an RBI single to Shermerhorn and a walk,
Reid was pulled in favor of Adam Simon. Simon struck out Brandon
Green before losing the aforementioned battle against Moffitt.
“Our bullpen is weary. Some of these guys have pitched
three or four times in our last five games,” Adams said.
The Bruin bullpen did not fare much better in the sixth inning.
With the help of two hit batters and a walk, the Shockers tacked
four runs onto their lead on only two hits.
UCLA needed three different pitchers ““ Simon, Garett White
and Scott Botterman ““ to escape the inning.
UCLA gained ground in the seventh frame when center fielder
Jarrad Page knocked in third baseman Brandon Averill with a two-out
single to shallow right, making the score 7-3.
Wichita State’s offensive onslaught, however, was not
finished. In the home half of the seventh, back-to-back
round-trippers by Joe Muich and Shawn Smarsh finished off the
Shocker scoring.
Averill was responsible for the majority of UCLA’s
offensive output. The senior was 3-for-4 with two runs scored.
The Bruins come home to face Arizona this weekend.
