UA, Grand Canyon do battle to end their losing streaks

The Arizona baseball team is riding a six-game losing streak after they were swept by Southern Cal over the weekend, marking consequative sweeps by a conference opponent.

Grand Canyon has dropped nine-straight, with the first coming against the Wildcats, a 12-2 loss in Tempe on April 8.

The two teams settle it tonight at 7 p.m. at Sancet Field in the final meeting of the season.

Arizona (29-22) won the first meeting as well, a 10 inning, 4-3 win on March 25.

Arizona's six game slide however, doesn't represent the way that they have been playing, as most of their losses have come in hard-fought, close games.

"Unfortunately, the bottom line in any athletic event is winning," Arizona head coach Jerry Stitt said. "We have played hard, have played well, and it's important for the guys to leave the field knowing that they have played well."

Having seen Grand Canyon (11-32) twice this season, the Wildcats have a good idea of what to expect in the game.

"They swing the bats well," Stitt said. "They are a hit-and-run kind of team. We have to be prepared for that."

Based on the past games, one thing looks bright for Arizona - a lot of runs should be scored. Grand Canyon has 9.05 team ERA, while the Wildcats are hitting .313 as a squad.

Stepping up for Arizona offensively has been junior Tom King, who has seen extensive time as the designated hitter since senior Jeff Gjerde had surgery to repair his broken hand.

King is hitting .337, with 15 of his 34 hits for extra bases. King entered the season with a career batting average of .271 and just 10 extra-base hits.

With seven games left counting tonight, Arizona is still searching for its preferred line-up. Stitt penciled in three different lineups in the Southern Cal series.

"We are just going to put the best nine on the field," Stitt said.

Freshman Tony Milo will start tonight. The left-hander is 3-0 with a 4.46 ERA, with 38 strikeouts in just 34 1/3 innings. Milo is coming off a tough relief appearence on Saturday against USC, when he gave up three earned runs off of no hits and four walks in 2/3 of an inning.