MATT HEISTAND/Arizona Daily Wildcat Arizona senior shortstop Brad Hassey follows through on his swing against ASU last month at Sancet Field. Hassey's season-high 13-game hitting streak ended during the Cal series last weekend.

Saturday, UA shortstop Brad Hassey went 0-for-5 to snap a 13-game hitting streak in a 12-5 loss to California Riverside.

The streak marked a season high for the team and Hassey, who previously held the streak at 12 games, a streak that began on Feb. 22. He was held hitless against Arizona State in the opening game of the series a month later.

"I had a buddy from elementary school who called me up the night before the game and told me about the streak," Hassey said "So, then, on Friday, I went 0-for-4."

During the span, Hassey saw his average jump from .255 to .274. Against ASU on Feb. 23, the senior went 3-for-5 to begin the 13-game streak, while his average ballooned to .320.

"I've just been putting things together with a consistent swing. I wasn't comfortable at the beginning of the year because I was off-balance and didn't keep my weight back," he said.

Hassey, who went 1-for-3 with a solo home run on Sunday, has had a hit in 25 of the Wildcats' last 27 games.

But being an iron man has helped him get more experience, he said. Hassey has started in the last 99 Wildcat baseball games, dating back to the start of last season. As of today, he has amassed 421 at-bats as the leadoff hitter.

"Playing all of those games has definitely helped me," Hassey said. "Over the course of a year, hitting every day has helped, but now I've got to start a new (streak)."

Sophomore starting pitcher Joe Little has 88 strikeouts this year to lead the team with a total six better than sophomore Sean Rierson's 82.

Little has led the team in punch-outs the entire season, but Rierson has kept within striking distance.

Neither one of them care about the race though, said Rierson.

"Numbers like that, they just show up after you do your job," said Little, who is a southpaw.

Rierson is more of a ground-ball pitcher who relies on his slider, a pitch he added to his repertoire this season, he said. Little's mentality relies on what kind of day he's having.

"Some days, I can be a strikeout pitcher, others I can be a ground-ball or a fly-ball one," he said. "It just depends on what I've working on that type of day."

But the Wildcat pitching staff has the same mentality of keeping pitch counts low.

"We pitchers will take 27 ground-ball outs instead of the strikeouts because we get to stay in the game longer," Rierson said.

Fans receive a 44 oz. soda as a promotion when the Wildcats record nine or more strikeouts. Rierson has reached the feat twice, while Little has done it once.

"I'd like to get everyone in the park a free soda as something to give back to them," Little said.

Saturday, head coach Andy Lopez was ejected in the fifth inning on a close call at the plate.

It was the first time he has been booted from a game since taking the helm at UA.

"He didn't use any profanity, but there might have been a misunderstanding," assistant coach Mark Wasikowski said.

After Lopez left the game, Wasikowski took over the managerial chores while coaching third base.

When a coach goes out to the field to discuss a close call, "99 percent of the time it's because they want to get the next one," Wasikowski said.

"You want to call the umps by their first name and talk to him like he's a man doing his job with respect," he said. "You want to make sure that you get the call in the future."

Lopez was the third UA member of the team to get ejected from a game this season.

On April 13 versus California, pitcher Marc Kaiser was the first of the season to get an early removal.

With Arizona leading 10-0, the sophomore gave up a three-run homer to Golden Bear catcher Jon Baker in the bottom of the first inning.

Baker's trot took a little long for Kaiser's liking, so he threw behind the next batter. Both benches emptied, but order was restored after warnings.

"I was trying to hit him to send them a message that this is my game and that we were winning," Kaiser said.

Kaiser led off the second inning with a solo home run in response to constant badgering from Baker, Kaiser said.

At the end of Kaiser's trot, Baker was waiting for him at home plate and Kaiser exchanged the words with him that warranted the ejection.

"I said something to (Baker) and was thrown out. It's not something I'm proud of," he said. "Lopez now calls me 'John' because he said he doesn't want to coach Marc anymore. It doesn't bother me because I need to learn to keep my poise better."

Pitching coach Jeff Morris came out to get an explanation but was tossed as well.

"I always stand up for our pitchers. If they're wrong, we'll tell them. In this case, he's wrong."