Wildcats can't hang with pro squad in charity game

After battering around college pitching staffs all season, No. 6 Arizona had no such luck against the Tucson Sidewinders.

The Sidewinders, the Triple-A affiliate of the Arizona Diamondbacks, shut out the Wildcats 8-0 last night in an exhibition game at Tucson Electric Park.

All proceeds from the event were donated to buy books for preschoolers and help fund the College of Education's study on local childcare needs.

If this game had counted, the Wildcats (21-10, 5-1 Pacific 10 Conference) would have tied a season-low with just four hits while being shut out for the first time.

However, playing a team full of former Diamondbacks, as well as a few of their top prospects, is very different from collegiate play, where Arizona averages 8.8 runs per game.

Also, the Wildcats hit with wooden bats tonight instead of college baseball's metal bats.

Head coach Andy Lopez said the exhibition did a good job of splitting up his team's schedule.

"It's just a good break," he said. "We're in Pac-10 (play) now, so every weekend is a big weekend. The first two weeks have been good for us. It's just a good break to relax and let them just come out and play."

While most of the team's regular starters played the first five innings of the game, the Wildcats emptied their bench over the last four innings and put most of their roster in the game.

After senior Sean Rierson started, the Wildcats got valuable experience for sophomore Brad Mills and freshmen Mike Koons and Matt Baugh. Mills allowed two runs in two innings, Koons gave up four runs in two frames, and Baugh pitched a scoreless inning.

"We wanted to get all those guys in who haven't played much or pitched much and let them get out there," Lopez said.

Rierson, who may have been in the other dugout, had Tommy John surgery ,which made him unavailable for the draft after the 2003 season.

He started the game and allowed one earned run on five hits in three innings but took the loss.

"I thought Sean pitched well," Lopez said.

Rierson did not pitch last weekend in UCLA but has factored in the third starter competition all year coming back from surgery.

"I'm not 100 percent, so it was a good day for me to get work in and try to pitch strong next week," he said.

Rierson said the exhibition definitely gave his teammates a feeling of where they want their careers to lead.

"I think for everybody that's exactly where they want to be in a couple years," he said. "It just gives them a sense of what's ahead of them as far as the future: What do I have to work on and what big league guys are playing my position, who am I going up against?"

Junior left fielder Trevor Crowe sat the game out as a precautionary measure after badly bruising his shin in Sunday's 12-2 victory at UCLA, Lopez said.

Lopez also said that X-rays taken Monday revealed no fracture, so Crowe will be in the lineup during this weekend's series at Washington State (15-17, 0-6).

"I wish we could (play him tonight), but we'd all be kicking ourselves if he wasn't available for the weekend," Lopez said. "Their mission is to go do some things, and our mission is to do well in the Pac, and we've got to make sure we do the right things."

For the Sidewinders, who open their season Thursday at Salt Lake, the Diamondbacks' three top prospects according to Baseball America, left fielder Carlos Quentin, first baseman Conor Jackson and shortstop Sergio Santos, hit Wildcat pitching hard.

The trio went 8-for-14 with six runs scored, two RBIs and three doubles.

The Arizona alumni in the game did not fair quite as well.

Designated hitter Alan Zinter struck out in two at-bats, while second baseman Keone DeRenne went 1-for-2 with a triple.

Eight Tucson pitchers combined on the shutout. After senior right fielder Jeff Van Houten's first-inning single, the Wildcats did not get a hit until freshman second baseman Bryan Kervin's one-out single in the sixth.

Adam Peterson earned the win for Tucson, while former Diamondbacks Oscar Villarreal and Shane Nance also pitched.

The Sidewinder staff combined to strike out 10 Wildcat batters, while Arizona's conference-leading staff, which strikes out over 10 batters per game, managed only four.

While the Wildcats did not fair well on the scoreboard, more importantly they got some valuable experience for little-used players and came away injury-free.

"It's just good to get playing time and play against some people and go out and have a good time doing it," Lopez said.

played much or pitched much and let them get out there," Lopez said.

Rierson, who may have been in the other dugout, had Tommy John surgery ,which made him unavailable for the draft after the 2003 season.

He started the game and allowed one earned run on five hits in three innings but took the loss.

"I thought Sean pitched well," Lopez said.

Rierson did not pitch last weekend in UCLA but has factored in the third starter competition all year coming back from surgery.

"I'm not 100 percent, so it was a good day for me to get work in and try to pitch strong next week," he said.

Rierson said the exhibition definitely gave his teammates a feeling of where they want their careers to lead.

"I think for everybody that's exactly where they want to be in a couple years," he said. "It just gives them a sense of what's ahead of them as far as the future: What do I have to work on and what big league guys are playing my position, who am I going up against?"

Junior left fielder Trevor Crowe sat the game out as a precautionary measure after badly bruising his shin in Sunday's 12-2 victory at UCLA, Lopez said.

For the Sidewinders, who open their season tomorrow at Salt Lake, the Diamondbacks' three top prospects according to Baseball America, left fielder Carlos Quentin, first baseman Conor Jackson and shortstop Sergio Santos, hit Wildcat pitching hard.

The trio went 8-for-14 with six runs scored, two RBIs and three doubles.

The Sidewinder staff combined to strike out 10 Wildcat batters, while Arizona's conference-leading staff, which strikes out over 10 batters per game, managed only four.

While the Wildcats did not fair well on the scoreboard, more importantly they got some valuable experience for little-used players and came away injury-free.

"It's just good to get playing time and play against some people and go out and have a good time doing it," Lopez said.