UA loses to A&M; New Mexico St. here today

Arizona Daily Wildcat Ryan Moskau

The Wildcats (8-7) scored once in the eighth and once in the ninth, but came up short in the 5-4 loss to the Aggies (7-3).

Sophomore left-hander Ryan Moskau (0-2) took the loss for Arizona.

He replaced sophomore pitcher Rob Shabansky after he suffered a slight muscle pull in his hip while pitching in the top of the third.

Shabansky should be okay to go when his spot in the rotation comes up again.

Junior shortstop Jake Thrower provided the offensive spark for the Wildcats, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, including a solo home run in the eighth, his first of the year.

Despite losing the majority of the three-game series against seventh-ranked Texas A&M, the matchup did have some bright spots for the Wildcats, while also showing things that need to be worked on.

"We are still making mistakes that are costly," UA head coach Jerry Stitt said. "We played real good defense. The pitchers pitched well. They threw strikes and stayed ahead of batters."

The Wildcats will have the chance today to prove themselves against another Aggies team, New Mexico State in this case, in a two-game series starting today at Sancet Field at 2:30 p.m.

Today's game is the start of a homestand where Arizona will play eight games in nine days, facing off with four different teams.

The Wildcats have an overall record of 42-3 against the Aggies. NMS went 25-27 last season and finished tied for fifth in the Big West Conference with a 8-13 record.

Last year Arizona swept the two-game series, outscoring New Mexico State, 30-5.

Stitt would like to see the squad continue to do the things they did well against Texas A&M.

"We need to continue to play good defense," Stitt said. "The pitchers need to stay ahead of the batters and continue to throw strikes. We need to eliminate the little mistakes, the ones that turn into big problems."

Senior designated hitter Jeff Gjerde, who injured his hand against Cal State-Dominguez Hills last week, only saw one at-bat, pinch hitting in the Sunday loss against Texas A&M.

"We are hoping that he will be 100 percent by tomorrow," Stitt said. "I put him in on Sunday because he is a good hitter even when he is not at 100 percent."

Junior right-hander David Quick will get the start today. Stitt said he is undecided in who will take the mound for Wednesday's game.