Wildcats heat up field

Tanith L. Balaban Arizona Daily Wildcat UA Left-hander Rob Shabansky delivers a slider to an Eastern Michigan batter. The Wildcats won the game 28-0.

UA junior left fielder Jason Hendricks was the eye of the storm as the Wildcats (13-9) pounded Eastern Michigan (1-1) 28-0, collecting 27 hits off of eight Eagle pitchers.

Sophomore left-hander Rob Shabansky (3-1) picked up the win for Arizona. Eastern Michigan's Brian Mitchell (0-1) took the loss.

Hendricks, who has been used mainly as a pinch hitter of late, made the most of his start today. He collected five hits in seven at-bats, with seven RBI and four runs scored.

Hendricks started the sixth inning with a solo home run and added a two-run double in the seventh. His hits, RBI and nine total bases all set individual season-highs.

"We swung the bats well today," UA head coach Jerry Stitt said.

Shabansky did his part, allowing one hit in five innings while striking out eight Eagle batters and only walking one.

Shabansky, who was coasting along despite long stretches in the dugout, was pulled after 60 pitches because he is expected to pitch on Sunday against Arizona's first Pacific 10 Conference foe, California.

"Long innings are tough on pitchers," UA head coach Jerry Stitt said. "It's tough to come back out and throw strikes."

At one point Shabansky struck out six Eagle batters in-a-row, tying a school record.

Freshman Kevin Huff and junior Ryan Stoneberg each pitched two innings to close out the victory.

"We pitched pretty well," Stitt said. "We threw strikes and played good defense."

All of the pieces fell together for Arizona. The Wildcats played errorless defense and each starter collected at least one hit and scored a run. Junior shortstop Jake Thrower was the only Wildcat starter that did not collect an RBI.

"The thing I like best is that we kept our focus," Stitt said. "Even though we were ahead by a lot, the guys still played good 'D' and the pitchers still threw strikes."

Another Wildcat that stood out at the plate was junior center fielder Diego Rico, who stretched his hitting streak to 15 games. Rico was 4-for-5, with four runs and an RBI. During the streak, Rico has had 11 multi-hit games. Entering the game, he was hitting a team-high .429 with 18 RBI.

Coming off of a frustrating 5-3 loss to Oral Roberts on Sunday, Stitt was able to turn the team around.

"The one thing they are learning, I hope, is that you have to come to play every day," he said. "It's the one thing I am trying to pound into their heads. Baseball is a very unforgiving game and it will beat you up if you are not ready."

For today's game the Wildcats will be happy to have senior designated hitter Jeff Gjerde, another major piece of their offense, back from the injury list. Gjerde had been out since injuring a nerve in his right hand, and though he was available for yesterday's game, Stitt chose to keep him on the bench so he would be well-rested for today's matchup.

Junior David Quick (2-0) starts today in the two-game series finale against Eastern Michigan. Play starts at 2:30 p.m. at Sancet Field.