By Craig Degel
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Late into last night's nonconference baseball game at Frank Sancet Field, television commentator Dave Sitton remarked about how much the game looked like a Pacific 10 Conference Southern Division game.
Fortunately for the Wildcats, one aspect did not.
The Wildcats (17-25-1 overall, 4-14 in the Six-Pac) have had trouble putting away teams in the late innings but had no such problem in their 17-8 defeat of Grand Canyon University.
"We had a very productive offensive night," UA head coach Jerry Kindall said. "We had a chance to execute some things that were very productive."
The Wildcats tallied 17 runs on 17 hits off four different Antelope pitchers.
Arizona got off to a quick start with four runs in the bottom of the first off starter Mike Gnirk thanks in most part to four straight hits from Jake Thrower, Scott Kidd, Jeff Gjerde and Chris Cooper.
Kidd, a junior second baseman from Cupertino, Calif., won himself the designated hitter spot thanks in part to his red-hot .371 batting average and a hurt shoulder that doesn't allow him to throw a baseball.
"I hurt my shoulder against ASU, so I'm not going to throw a baseball for a week," Kidd said. "But I will DH this weekend (against UCLA)."
Kidd, who was 2-3 with two RBI last night, is second in the conference in batting average and third in hits thanks to a just-broken hit streak that saw him smack at least two hits in nine straight games.
The Wildcats were held without a run in just two of their eight innings Ä the second and the third.
"It was good to see those (offensive) innings sustained. We had runs in the last five innings," Kindall said with a smile.
Pat McMillin got the win in relief of Wildcat starter Jason Ford. Tim Huff suffered the loss for Grand Canyon.