Aggie pitcher baffles UA batters

Brian D. Rothschild Arizona Daily Wildcat UA second basemen Erik Mattern makes contact with a pitch during yesterday's loss to the New Mexico State Aggies. The Wildcats and Aggies split the series.

The right-handed Kozlowski pitched a complete game, scattering ten hits and allowing only four runs, three earned, while striking out eight Wildcats as the Aggies went to 6-5 and Arizona fell to 9-8. The teams split the two-game series.

"The guy (Kozlowski) pitched good," UA head coach Jerry Stitt said. "He kept the ball around (the plate) and kept it low."

Freshman right-hander Dave Abbott, making his first collegiate start, was credited with the loss. Abbott went 4 1/3 innings, allowing six runs off eight hits. He walked three and struck out only one Aggie.

"That's the key," Stitt said. "Their guy threw strikes and our guys didn't. That's the key to baseball right there."

Aggie third baseman Cory Smith carried the offensive load for the Aggies, going 3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs, including a three-run homer in the fifth.

Second baseman Erik Mattern seemed to be the only Wildcat to figure out Kozlowski, going 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and a run scored.

"It seemed like he was making us chase a lot of his curveballs," Mattern said. "We were hitting his pitch and not ours."

Junior right fielder Colin Porter extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a single in the ninth. Going into yesterday's game, Porter was hitting .390.

The Wildcats will look to rebound against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, who come into town today for a two-game series. The Thunderbirds, who are currently 2-6, went 9-34 last season.

"We'll bounce back," Stitt said. "We just have to start getting things to fall into place on a consistent basis. We are not consistent. We are so up-down-up-down. We need to put things together."

The Wildcats are still sorely missing senior designated hitter Jeff Gjerde, who is still day-to-day after breaking the hamate bone and injuring a nerve in his right hand. Before the injury, Gjerde was hitting .388.

Despite the loss yesterday and missing Gjerde's big bat, the team still has confidence in their ability to win.

"We played well, and we played great defense," Mattern said. "Things will fall for us."

Arizona freshman southpaw Tony Milo (0-0), a former 7th-round pick by the New York Mets, will make his first collegiate start today at 2:30 at Sancet Field. Right-hander Darrell Hussman (2-1) will pitch the second game tomorrow, also at 2:30.