Arizona outfielder Hunter Pace easily could have moped and complained, and even left the team because of the lack of playing time.

But he didn’t. He stuck around for three years, sitting behind T.J. Steele, who was a fourth-round selection in the Major League Baseball draft a year ago.

Pace, who graduates with a regional development degree, will start his last home series when the Wildcats play Washington at Sancet Stadium at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The Pac-10 series runs through Monday.

“Hunter Pace is the reason why I enjoy coaching,” UA coach Andy Lopez said.

Pace is one of four seniors playing their last home series, joining pitchers Preston Guilmet and Cory Burns, and outfielder Brad Glenn.

Pace was a standout at Chandler Hamilton High. But Steele took over the center field position and became one of the top outfielders in the country.

“Unfortunately T.J. had to come in the same year, but it was good for me,” Pace said. “I learned a lot from watching T.J. and the way he went about his business.”

Pace wasn’t bad, having been a 28th-round draft choice out of high school.

He just didn’t get too many chances. He had only 83 at bats entering this season.

Pace is making the most of his final season. A starter this year, he’s second on the team with a .369 average, and second in stolen bases with 13.

“It has been rewarding to finally see all the time you put in and the extra work paying off,” Pace said. “At the same time you have to stay hungry and stay humble so nobody else passes you up.”

A couple of times Pace met with Lopez about playing time. He wanted to know what had to happen in order for him to play.

“They were never the kind (of meetings) where he leaves and you say, ‘What a jerk,’ ” Lopez said. “I have always respected the way he has handled that. There is not a guy in this program who would say a bad thing about that guy.”

———

UA BASEBALL

Washington (23-25, 12-9) at Arizona (25-23, 8-13)

Saturday: 7 p.m.

Sunday: 6 p.m.

Monday: noon

> At Sancet Stadium, 1290 AM

Lopez can point to players like Tigers’ Perry, Padres’ Hundley

Ryan Perry, who graduated from Marana High School, has struck out 10 batters in 12.1 innings for Detroit this year.

Marana High grad Ryan Perry is a reliever for the Detroit Tigers – less than a year after helping pitch the University of Arizona to the super-regional of the NCAA Tournament.

Former UA reliever Mark Melancon made it to the big leagues with the New York Yankees before being sent back down last week for – of all players – Alex Rodriguez.

Ex-Wildcat Nick Hundley is the starting catcher for the San Diego Padres, while former UA outfielder Brian Anderson is working his way back from the disabled list for the Chicago White Sox.

They are just a few of the players UA coaches are using as recruiting bait to improve the future of a team sitting in eighth place in the Pac-10 with a 25-23 record. The Wildcats, trying to make a late run to reach the postseason, face Washington at home Saturday, Sunday and Monday.

“How is my son going to develop? That’s a question we get a lot from parents,” UA coach Andy Lopez said. “We mention guys like Perry and Melancon and guys I had at Florida. It’s an important question in the recruiting process.”

UA has had 37 players drafted since 2003, with many on the verge of joining Perry, Hundley and Anderson in the majors.

Shortstop Jason Donald (Philadelphia), pitcher Brad Mills (Toronto), outfielder Trevor Crowe (Cleveland), pitcher John Meloan (Cleveland) and first baseman Jordan Brown (Cleveland) are all seeing time at the Triple-A level.

Lopez gets the credit, but he passes along the praise to chief recruiting assistant Mark Wasikowski.

“Waz has done a great job in recruiting. My assistants have done a marvelous job. We have not messed them up and they have developed,” Lopez said. “And really, none of those guys came in here as (guaranteed) first or second-round picks.”

Lopez developed major leaguers David Eckstein, Mark Ellis, Brad Wilkerson, David Ross, Ryan Shealy and Josh Fogg while at Florida before arriving at Arizona.

Perry leapfrogged through the Tigers organization to quickly make it to “The Show,” but Lopez remembers his first few days at UA being rough.

“We were working together in the pen, and he’s looking at me like I am talking a foreign language. Holy smokes, I am thinking I need an interpreter,” Lopez said. “Four year later, he’s in the big leagues.”

Perry entered this week with an 0-1 record in 12 1/3 innings for the Tigers. He’s allowed four earned runs, while striking out 10 and walking 11 in 13 games.

“I’m not surprised by his talent,” Lopez said. “He has a gorgeous delivery. He’s young and really eager to get better.”

As for Hundley, he’s established himself as an offensive weapon for the Padres and a solid catcher for a promising pitching staff.

“A good makeup (character) and work ethic will get you somewhere. Nick is proof of that,” Lopez said. “His work ethic is off the charts. He gets behind there and runs the show.”

Hundley is batting .263 through 22 games, with 8 RBIs and a homer.

Anderson, a former first-round pick of the White Sox in 2003, is a backup outfielder for Chicago but has been on the disabled list with a strained side muscle. He’s beginning to take part in light batting practice, and could be back with the club by next week.

Anderson has developed a reputation for his defensive skills, but he must improve on his .227 career average. He was hitting .288 before going on the DL.

Potential arm issues dropped Melancon to the ninth round of the 2006 draft, but he was one of college baseball’s top closers from 2004-06.

Lopez told anybody who would listen not to worry about Melancon’s health or determination.

The Yankees listened. It took a few years, but Melancon made his first major league appearance a couple of weeks ago, shutting out Boston for two innings.

Melancon walked five in 3.1 innings, however, and was sent down to Triple-A Scranton-/Wilkes-Barre. He’s hoping to make it back to New York soon.

“I told the Yankees scouts when his arm was hurting that I would sign this guy in a heartbeat,” Lopez said. “Mark would will himself to the big leagues. Not for one second was I surprised he (made it).”

San Diego Padres catcher Nick Hundley, a former Wildcat, can't get the tag on the Los Angeles Dodgers' Juan Pierre in time during a game earlier this month in Los Angeles.

Former UA reliever Mark Melancon of the New York Yankees hangs his head after throwing a wild pitch against the Los Angeles Angels in a May 1 at Yankee Stadium.

———

WILDCATS DRAFTED

Arizona has had 37 players picked in the Major League Baseball draft since Andy Lopez took over in 2003:

Year No.

2003 4

2004 3

2005 8

2006 4

2007 7

2008 11

———

Washington (23-25, 12-9) at Arizona (25-23, 8-13)

Saturday: 7 p.m.

Sunday: 6 p.m.

Monday: noon

> Games at Sancet Stadium, 1290 AM

Arizona shortstop Bryce Ortega had some empathy for Loyola Marymount on Monday, but not too much after UA rallied in the ninth for a 7-6 victory.

Ortega laid a sacrifice bunt down in the bottom of the ninth at Sancet Stadium, just trying to get Mike Weldon to second base.

Ortega got much more when Loyola pitcher John Lally retrieved the grounder, but threw wildly to first base.

The Lions went chasing after the ball in the right-field corner while Weldon sped home to tie the game and Ortega went to third with nobody out.

Brad Glenn eventually hit a walk-off sacrifice fly ball to center field to score Ortega after Dillon Baird and Jett Bandy were intentionally walked to load the bases.

“It was the easiest walk-off I’ve ever had,” Glenn said.

The Wildcats (25-23), lacking late-inning breaks all season, finally got one on Lally’s error.

“I feel bad for the other team. I’ve been in that boat walking back to the bus, but right now I don’t really care,” Ortega said.

Arizona swept the three-game series with the Lions. UA begins a home series against Washington on Saturday.

Weldon opened the home ninth by being hit by a pitch. Ortega had a drag bunt down the first base line. The throw to get him wasn’t close.

“I saw him jump and I said, ‘Oh God, it’s going down the line,’ then turned on the afterburners,” Ortega said.

The ninth-inning rally was only the second comeback the Wildcats have had all season. Glenn also drove in that winner with a two-run single for a 7-6 victory over USC on April 3.

The Wildcats, trailing 5-2 heading into the seventh inning Monday, were unable to get the big hit through most of the game, leaving runners in scoring position in the first, fifth, seventh and eighth.

Arizona didn’t need a hit in the ninth to prevail.

“It is good to get a win, although we didn’t hit the ball like we had in the past,” Glenn said. “The whole night was kind of dead with our bats. We were not hitting like we usually do, but we hung in there.”

Loyola Marymount starter Ramiro Carreon, who had a 5.31 ERA coming into the game, gave the Wildcats few good looks.

He went 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs and five hits, while striking out six and walking none.

The Wildcats’ biggest chance came in the fifth after Carreon retired 11 straight batters. Bobby Coyle and Hunter Pace reached with singles. Coyle scored on a Dwight Childs groundout to trim the deficit to 5-2.

Ortega singled and Baird was hit by a pitch to load the bases. But Bandy hit a harmless fly ball to right field to end the threat.

The Lions had a four-run first inning off starter Daniel Workman. The freshman, suffering from strep throat, lasted only two-thirds of an inning.

Angelo Songco highlighted the frame with a towering three-run homer. He also had a solo blast against Joe Allison in the third for a 5-1 Lions lead.

It was one of the few mistakes Allison made. The reliever kept the Lions under control, giving up four hits and one run in 5 1/3 innings. Jason Stoffel (2-1) picked up the win.

“Usually we are in the other end of these one-run losses,” Ortega said.

“(This) is a little gratifying.”

———

UA BASEBALL

Washington (23-24, 12-9) at Arizona (25-23, 8-13)

Saturday: 7 p.m. (1290 AM)

Sunday: 6 p.m. (1290 AM)

Monday: noon (1290 AM)

University of Arizona pitcher Kyle Simon is proving that “on-the-job training” can pay off.

The freshman recorded his first win as a starter during a 9-5 victory over Loyola Marymount on Sunday night at Sancet Stadium.

“If you would have talked to me on January 15th, I would have said we’re probably going to redshirt this guy and let him find his way in college baseball,” Arizona coach Andy Lopez said. “(Now) it’s on-the-job training for him.”

Simon is finding his way despite his 3-5 overall record. The Los Alamitos (Calif.) High School graduate pitched six solid innings against Loyola, allowing three runs and nine hits.

The Wildcats (24-23), who beat Loyola 12-2 on Saturday, will try for a series sweep at 6 p.m. Monday at Sancet Stadium.

Simon kept the Lions (29-23) off-balance with a combination of fastballs and change-ups, plus a slider that he has been working on in bullpen sessions.

“The slider really came through,” UA catcher Daniel Butler said. “Coaches will give him something to work on and he actually would do just that where other guys wouldn’t. You can see he has made the adjustment and is taking things to heart. He’s doing it.”

Simon picked up Arizona’s first win of the season Feb. 20 in relief, a 5-3 victory over Sacramento State. He’s worked his way into the starting rotation, solidifying himself as the No. 2 starter.

He had a career-high six strikeouts against Loyola Marymount, including striking out side in the fifth inning.

So much for redshirting.

“You have to make yourself here. You have to impress somebody every day,” said Simon, who was 15-4 in high school with an earned-run average of about 2.00.

“I have worked on doing my job and kind of achieved that,” Simon said.

Simon started out shaky Sunday. UA trailed 3-0 heading into the bottom of the third. It could have been worse but the Wildcats turned double plays in the first and third innings.

But no one could touch his pitches when he struck out the side in the fifth.

By then Arizona scored enough to give the freshman the win.

A bloop double by Bryce Ortega in the eighth sealed the victory, scoring Bobby Coyle and Hunter Pace to take a 9-4 lead.

Arizona’s Brad Glenn tied the game at 3 in the bottom of the third on a run-scoring single.

His line drive through the left side of the infield followed back-to-back RBI doubles from Jett Bandy and Dillon Baird.

The Wildcats took a 5-3 lead in the fourth on a groundout RBI by Kyle Stiner and a Pace double to bring in Coyle.

“The way we have been swinging it I don’t think we were nervous to come back,” Baird said.

“We have been putting up runs like crazy. We were not panicking at all.”

It helped that Simon settled down.

———

UP NEXT FOR UA

Monday: vs. Loyola Marymount, 6 p.m.

Saturday: vs. Washington, 7 p.m.

Sunday: vs. Washington, 6 p.m.

May 18: vs. Washington, noon

All games at Sancet Stadium, 1290 AM

Lopez looking to fill starters’ spots

Daniel Workman was not supposed to be in the starting rotation, but nothing is keeping him from that role now.

The University of Arizona baseball team has sought consistency from its pitchers this year, and Workman, who attended Sierra Vista Buena High School, has delivered.

“When you have the kind of year we have had, where we have struggled, there are always going to be some surprises, both ways, good and bad,” UA coach Andy Lopez said. “Daniel has been a pleasant, pleasant surprise. He has a bright future. He has a chance to be pretty good when it is all said and done.”

Workman is not fully recovered from the ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction (Tommy John) surgery he had in February 2008.

The 6-foot-2, 175-pound pitcher has been on a pitch count of 85 per game. That took him through six innings against a hard-hitting California team last week, when he allowed only two runs on five hits.

He will get the call for the Wildcats against Loyola Marymount on Monday as the No. 3 starter.

The three-game series at Sancet Stadium starts at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The right-hander has posted a team-best 2.27 ERA in 31 1/2 innings. He is 2-1 and has struck out 21 hitters while walking nine.

“I was just trying to fit in wherever I could,” Workman said. “I’m working on my fastball location and getting ahead of hitters so the team can get back into the dugout.”

The Wildcats have tried several starting pitchers as Kyle Simon, Joe Allison, Bryce Bandilla, Donn Roach and Matt Veltmann have all gotten turns to try and complement No. 1 starter Preston Guilmet.

“It is neat the way it has all worked out for him,” Lopez said. “If we don’t get some guys hurt he may have had to work his way through more traffic. With us struggling he not only got his chance but he has run with it.

“I just sat down (Friday) morning projecting next year and he is in our plans. He is near the top of the list for the guys we want coming back. He is going to be a factor.”

Workman, who is the son of an Army intelligence officer, hurt his arm while throwing a fastball at Salt Lake City College.

“It was a one-time thing,” Workman said. “I threw a fastball and it hurt. It felt like somebody put a three-inch blade into my arm.

“I’ve always wanted to come back (to southern Arizona), and I always wanted to play here where my grandfather is a big UA fan and (I’m) an hour away from home.”

———

Next up

Loyola Marymount (29-21) at Arizona (22-23)

Saturday: 7 p.m. (1290 AM)

Sunday: 7 p.m. (1290 AM)

Monday: 6 p.m.

The University of Arizona baseball team couldn’t mount a rally after falling behind 5-2 in the third inning, losing 8-4 on the road to No. 6 Cal State Fullerton on Wednesday at Goodwin Field.

The loss, the second in as many days in Fullerton, Calif., drops the Wildcats under .500 for the season at 22-23.

UA jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning thanks to Bobby Coyle’s Pac-10 leading seventh triple of the season, scoring Jett Bandy. Coyle then scored on a Brad Glenn sacrifice fly.

Fullerton (34-12) retook the lead with three runs in the bottom of the second and never looked back, touching up Arizona starter Kyle Simon for five runs, four earned, in 2 1/3 innings, dropping his record to 2-5 on the season.

Arizona returns home for a seven-game homestand starting at 7 p.m. Saturday against Loyola Marymount.

Arizona sophomore Bobby Coyle was named the Pac-10 Player of the Week after hitting .462 with nine RBIs in a three-game sweep over California.

Coyle, an outfielder-designated hitter, went 6 for 13 with a triple in each game. He was 5 for 7 with runners in scoring position, including two bases-loaded triples.

He leads the Pac-10 with six triples on the season.

UA travels to meet Cal State Fullerson on Tuesday and Wednesday at 6 p.m. The Wildcats host Loyola Marymount in a three game series that begins on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Sancet Stadium.

Bandy

Arizona third baseman Jett Bandy needed some IVs and a lot of Gatorade to feel better after a severe cramp.

His team is doing better as well, as the Wildcats (22-21, 8-13) completed a three-game sweep of visiting California with a 12-8 win Sunday at Sancet Stadium.

UA has moved into eighth place in the Pac-10 by winning five of its past six games.

There are six league games left. Arizona next visits Cal State Fullerton for the start of a two-game nonconference series at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

“It is starting to come together,” Bandy said. “We are really loose. At the beginning of the year, I know I felt a little tight, but we are all having fun and are loose out there. We know when to put our game faces on and it is time to play.”

Bandy’s face reflected nothing but pain and agony Friday when he suffered a cramp from his abdomen to his toes following a fifth-inning swing.

The freshman’s body froze up, his left foot went sideways and he couldn’t move after getting just a few feet out of the batter’s box.

“I lifted my leg up and it just cramped,” he said. “I couldn’t get it to straighten back out. I just fell right to the ground.

“My body completely cramped up, my hammies, my thighs, my butt, calves, feet and toes. I tried to walk and I couldn’t walk. I just timbered.”

Bandy, who said he felt his legs cramp up earlier in the game and was starting to drink extra fluids in the dugout, admitted to being a little scared.

Bandy, who leads the Pac-10 in doubles at 18, required a pair of IVs and he said about 20 bottles of Gatorade afterward.

He didn’t play during Arizona’s 8-4 victory on Saturday, but he was back at it in the finale, driving a double to left-center field in the first inning.

Everybody was feeling good after a sweep of the Bears.

“It is a big win for us,” UA coach Andy Lopez said. “We are trying like crazy to get back into this.”

The Wildcats still have a lot of work to do to earn a postseason appearance.

But UA is starting to get better pitching, and the offense is playing well, too, scoring 33 runs against Cal while pounding out 45 hits.

Steve Selsky hit a pair of home runs and went 3 for 4 with three runs scored in Sunday’s win. Bobby Coyle drove in nine runs during the series, including a bases-clearing triple in the sixth inning in the finale to put UA ahead 10-2.

Nobody was hotter than Hunter Pace, who went 8 for 11 at the plate, including a double and a triple.

“I guess I was seeing the ball pretty good. I can’t complain,” Pace said. “I had to make a few minor adjustments. It was a mechanical thing with my timing, being a little off. I had to go back to the basics and it worked.”

Starting pitcher Daniel Workman is giving the Wildcats some help in a problem area much of the season. Workman was steady through six innings Sunday, allowing just two runs and five hits.

“Every time we seem to find our grove we seem to have a setback, but we know we are playing better than we have all season,” Pace said. “It is a matter of being consistent every game and playing sound defense and good pitching. We are starting to build on this.”

———

PAC-10 BASEBALL

Team Conf. Overall

Arizona State 16-4 33-10

UCLA 12-8 21-22

Oregon State 11-7 27-12

Washington State 11-7 22-20

Washington 10-8 21-23

Stanford 10-11 22-19

USC 10-11 22-23

Arizona 8-13 22-21

California 6-15 19-26

Oregon 4-14 14-31

Arizona's Dwight Childs (left) and Jett Bandy celebrate after Bandy scored in the bottom of the first inning on Friday at Sancet Stadium. The Wildcats beat the California Golden Bears 13-4.

All Preston Guilmet had to do Friday night was go out and throw strikes.

Sounds easy enough, and it was for the Arizona Wildcats pitcher, who moved into the No. 2 slot in the school record books for strikeouts in UA’s 13-4 win over California at Sancet Stadium.

Staked to a nine-run lead by the third inning, there was no reason for Guilmet to mess around or get too fine with his pitches.

“All you have to do is pound the strike zone,” he said. “Let them hit it. What is the worst thing that is going to happen? Nobody is going to hit an eight-run home run.

“There is no reason to nibble after guys. You pound the zone and go after them and throw a lot of strikes.”

UA will look for another win Saturday when the Wildcats (20-21, 6-13 Pac-10) host Cal (19-24, 6-13) at 6 p.m.

The series wraps up with a game at noon Sunday.

Guilmet recorded career strikeout No. 395 in the eighth inning against Blake Smith. He passed Don Lee (1954-56) and is 27 strikeouts away from Carl Thomas (1954-56) for the all-time record.

“I didn’t know that,” Guilmet said when asked about closing in on the record. “I will care when I leave, but right now every Friday night it is my job to go out there and get a good performance and get it to the bullpen and a chance to win.”

Cory Burns came in during the ninth inning, but Guilmet could have probably gone another frame if needed. The eight innings was his longest stint since a 7-0 victory over Oregon State almost a year ago.

Guilmet had more than just his fastball working as he struck out 10 Bears.

“He has command of his fastball again and he has gotten back to using all his pitches,” said UA catcher Dwight Childs. “He is working his splitter, he is working his slider and is working his fastball.

“When you are locating the fastball, the other pitches become even better.”

Guilmet has pitched better than his 4-4 record this season would attest. He has a 3.47 ERA, but has not been given much run support.

The Wildcats gave him plenty this time. Arizona scored five runs in the first and kept the hits coming.

Bryce Ortega opened with a walk against Cal starter Matt Flemer. Dillon Baird then hit a line-drive double off the right field wall for the first run.

Jett Bandy followed with a shot in nearly the same direction for a 2-0 lead.

Brad Glenn singled through the left side of the infield. Steve Selsky came up next for the exact same type of a hit for a quick three-run cushion.

Bobby Coyle followed with a run-scoring single before Childs’ squeeze bunt brought in the last run of the frame.

Flemer threw 31 pitches before getting his first out.

The Wildcats didn’t let up, scoring three more in the second inning.

Baird had a triple to get it started before Selsky singled in a run and Coyle tripled for an 8-1 lead.

Guilmet did the rest.

———

UA CAREER STRIKEOUTS

Rank, Player Years Total

1. Carl Thomas 1954-56 422

2. Preston Guilmet 2006-09 395

3. Don Lee 1954-56 394

4. Jim Nichols 1963-65 333

5. David Baldwin 1957-59 312

Arizona's Bryce Bandilla pitches against ASU on Wednesday at Sancet Stadium. Bandilla pitched well in the first three innings but walked two batters before giving up a grand slam in the fourth.

The Arizona baseball team’s ninth-inning follies during a 20-3 loss to No. 3 Arizona State are a microcosm of the season.

The Wildcats (19-21) knew they were in a rebuilding stage when the season started, but they thought they had security in closer Jason Stoffel and they hoped their defense would limit runs.

Neither happened as the Sun Devils (32-9) broke open up the nonconference game against three pitchers Wednesday in the top of the ninth, scoring 13 runs at Sancet Stadium.

“It was a nightmare,” UA coach Andy Lopez said. “Momentum gets going and momentum gets started by base on balls. When you walk two or three guys in a row you are not going to have anything good happen. That is going to be a bad inning. You hope you can get out unscathed. When you walk that many guys something bad is going to happen.”

It did for Arizona, and Stoffel, who has a UA record 26 career saves. But he has a 10.50 ERA since March 20, as opponents have hit .338 against him in that span.

Stoffel allowed six runs on six hits while walking three against ASU in a March game. He didn’t get an out this time, throwing only seven strikes among his 24 pitches, while facing five batters.

He allowed five runs and walked three hitters.

“It is the most frustrated I have been with a performance this year,” Stoffel said. “I just didn’t have any command of anything. It is tough to be effective when you can’t throw a strike.”

Stoffel entered the game with UA down 7-3.

“When you have an inning like that it is like ‘wow,’ you have to keep rooting for the pitcher and stay behind him, and cheering him on and hope for the best,” UA third baseman Jett Bandy said.

Catching fly balls has been an issue for the Wildcats. A pair of drops cost the Wildcats two victories at Washington State two weeks ago.

This time, left fielder Bobby Coyle had a line drive bounce out of his glove with the bases loaded in the ninth.

The Sun Devils finished with eight hits, four walks and a hit batter among its 17 players to come to the plate in the ninth.

Arizona closed to within 6-3 in the fifth on a pair of RBIs by Bandy.

“I thought it was going to help us out,” Bandy said. “I wanted time but the umpire was not going to give it to me so I stepped back in there and swung and squared it up pretty good.”

Arizona starting pitcher Bryce Bandilla didn’t get an out and faced only four batters in a start against the Sun Devils earlier this year.

Bandilla fared better on Wednesday, allowing only one hit through three innings before running into trouble.

Jason Kipnis and Carlos Ramirez both walked to open the fourth before Matt Newman singled to load the bases.

Riccio Torrez made Bandilla pay with a grand slam to give ASU a 4-1 lead.

<h4>Tennis hair day </h4>

The hair of Denmark's Caroline Wozniacki flies as she serves at the Porsche Grand Prix tennis tournament in Stuttgart, Germany, on Tuesday.

Playing close won’t be good enough if the University of Arizona baseball team can’t turn the season around.

That means critical mistakes must be eliminated, starting on Wednesday with No. 3 Arizona State playing the Wildcats in a nonleague 3 p.m. start at Sancet Stadium.

“Nearly every series since playing Arizona State we could have won two out of three if not for a blown save, an error or if we hadn’t dropped a couple of fly balls,” Arizona coach Andy Lopez said.

The Wildcats haven’t been blown out often, but ASU did conclude a three-game sweep over UA on March 22 with a 23-9 victory.

The Sun Devils (31-9, 15-3) have a 10-game cushion over the ninth-place Wildcats (19-20, 5-13). Arizona would be much better off if not for losing 11 of its 20 games by three runs or less.

“There’s no mystery about it. You have to play consistently, and we have not done that,” Lopez said. “We have not done good enough to get over the hump.”

While ASU is getting the job done with veteran pitchers, with a Pac-10-leading staff with a 2.66 ERA, the Wildcats top the league with a .302 batting average. The hits are starting to come more with a lineup made up mostly of freshmen and sophomores.

UA’s equally young pitching staff is starting to show signs of progress as well, limiting Stanford to 11 runs in its series victory over the Cardinal last weekend.

“It has just taken us longer than I thought it would,” Lopez said. “Young guys are getting used to the speed of the game.”

They are starting to get up to speed, but they must make up a lot of ground.

No-hitter string ends

CLEARWATER, Fla. – It was just one hit, but still you would have expected some reaction from pitcher Patrick Schuster.

After all, he wasn’t used to giving up any at all.

The Mitchell High School ace was going for a fifth straight no-hitter and another piece of the Florida state record book Tuesday. But a screaming double over the right fielder’s head on an 0-1 count in the third inning put an end to that. Schuster walked around the mound, then got back on the rubber while a standing room-only crowd of more than 1,000 applauded his effort.

“I turned around and said, ‘Thank you. It’s done now and I don’t have to worry about it anymore,’ ” a dejected Schuster said after what turned out to be his final prep game. Mitchell was eliminated by Gaither High 9-4.

The lanky left-hander had put together a string of four no-hitters going into the district tournament game, and had gotten through the first two innings without giving up a hit. Then came the double by Gaither’s Drew Doty.

He worked five innings, allowing five runs – three earned – and three hits. He struck out five, walked five and hit three batters.

He captured the Florida record when he turned in No. 4 last week at his home field in New Port Richey, near Tampa. The national record for consecutive no-hitters by a high school pitcher is six.

“After warming up, my arm didn’t feel as good as it did the last three games or any time I threw well,” Schuster said.

The 18-year-old, with a 90 mph fastball, is ranked as the 79th best prospect in the country by Baseball America and has signed with the University of Florida.

The Associated Press

Flu closes Mexican football

MEXICO CITY – All nine Mexican first-division football games this weekend will be played behind closed doors, a move aimed at stemming the spread of swine flu.

Three games last weekend were played without fans – matches around the capital – but the Mexican Football Federation said on Tuesday it’s closing off all games with the outbreak continuing to spread.

“This decision was made . . . in full awareness of the health emergency confronting Mexico,” the federation said.

The nine games are: Tecos-Pumas, Cruz Azul-Ciudad Juarez, Monterrey-America, Pachuca-Jaguares, Chivas-Puebla, Morelia-Atlas, Necaxa-Atlante, Toluca-Tigres, Santos-San Luis.

The effort to contain the swine flu outbreak was hitting Mexico’s 18 first-division clubs the hardest. Matches draw 200,000 to 300,000 fans each weekend.

Mexico sports newspaper Record estimated clubs could lose about 24 million pesos (about $2 million) in ticket sales if all matches are closed.

The Associated Press

Pricey Yankee seats cheaper

NEW YORK – Turns out a few more fans might be able to buy those empty front-row seats at Yankee Stadium.

The New York Yankees slashed prices on more than 40 percent of their front-row seats by up to 50 percent Tuesday and announced many of those who bought tickets closest to the field for $325-$2,500 will be eligible for additional free seats.

Those initiatives could help pack previously unfilled areas that were an eyesore on television broadcasts at the $1.5 billion ballpark.

While most of the cheaper tickets in the second and third decks were sold for the opening six games, entire sections of cushioned blue seats with teak arm rests in the first nine rows in 25 sections went empty, areas that cost $500 and up. Many of the nonpremium seats between the bases, which cost $325 as part of season tickets and $375 individually, also went unfilled.

MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann, who owns three $850 Legends Suite season tickets, was unhappy prices were cut only for those with front-row seats while others will be given additional tickets.

“If they’re offering only selective refunds, depend upon it: There are going to be lawsuits,” Olbermann said.

The Associated Press

QUOTABLE

'I got the razor in my bag, and I'm ready to go home and get it over with.'

PATRICK SCHUSTER,

Florida high school pitcher, who can shave after failing to get his fifth straight no-hitter. He vowed to let his whiskers grow while the string was alive.

———

TRIVIA QUESTION

Who is the only man to be on the field when Henry Aaron broke Babe Ruth’s home run record and when Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb’s hit record?

ANSWER: Steve Garvey played for the Dodgers when Aaron broke the homer record in 1974, then was with the Padres for Rose’s record-breaker in 1985.

———

ON THIS DATE

1901: His Eminence wins the Kentucky Derby by 1 1/2 lengths over Sannazarro in the only Derby ever raced in April.

1986: Boston’s Roger Clemens sets a major league record by striking out 20 Seattle batters.

2007: Phoenix guard Steve Nash has 23 assists, one shy of the NBA playoff record, in a 113-100 win over the Lakers.

———

SPORTS SOUND-OFF

Cats right to be angry

Re: Ex-Cats Nate Ness, Ronnie Palmer get NFL free-agent deals

• I bet these two guys wish they were chosen in the draft. Ness and Palmer have the right to be furious, not Mike Thomas or Eben Britton, who should be thanking their lucky stars they got drafted. JUST A FAN

• Ness and Palmer will do very well in the pros. I can see Nate working in as nickel back, and some safety. Ronnie can get in on special teams, and work into relief at inside backer. 3829

The Arizona baseball team usually plays well against Stanford, and this weekend was no exception.

The Wildcats won their first Pac-10 series of the year by pulling out a 7-6 victory in the finale Sunday in Palo Alto, Calif.

This is the the seventh straight year Arizona has won the Pac-10 series against the Cardinal.

The Wildcats haven’t lost a series to Stanford since 2002, which was UA’s first season under coach Andy Lopez.

Arizona hopes this victory is a jump-start to better things. The Wildcats are 19-20 overall and 5-13 in the Pac-10.

“Hopefully this is a sign of things to come,” Lopez said in a phone interview Sunday.

Arizona’s win pulled the Wildcats out of the Pac-10 basement, as they jumped ahead of Oregon.

UA hosts Arizona State at 3 p.m. Wednesday, but it won’t count as a league game. After that, the Wildcats host California for three games beginning at 7 p.m. Friday.

After getting a pitching gem from Preston Guilmet in an 11-1 Friday victory over Stanford, the Wildcats struggled in losing 3-1 Saturday.

But the bats came alive against Sunday, as UA pounded out 14 hits.

Leadoff batter Bryce Ortega went 2 for 3 with three runs scored, and blasted a home run in the sixth inning to put the Wildcats up 6-3.

In the eighth, Ortega walked and scored on an RBI double by Jett Bandy to put UA up 7-5.

“Ortega, of the older guys, has been very consistent for us and has gotten big hits,” Lopez said. “He is really playing well.”

Freshman outfielder Steve Selsky, starting his first game in left field, went 4 for 5.

Jason Stoffel pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the eighth inning before retiring the side in the ninth to notch his eighth save.

Cory Burns (1-0) picked up the win by tossing two scoreless innings in relief.

Although Brad Glenn, who went 6 for 8 in the first two games, didn’t get a hit Sunday, he drove in two runs.

His run-scoring sacrifice fly in the fifth handed the Wildcats a 4-3 lead. Kyle Stiner drove in Selsky for a 5-3 lead in the sixth with an RBI single.

“We were getting things done that we haven’t been doing over the last five weeks,” Lopez said. “It was a good weekend for us.”

The University of Arizona baseball team moved within a game of .500 with a dominant performance at Stanford on Friday night.

The Wildcats (18-19, 4-12) won 11-1 as Preston Guilmet (3-4) threw seven strong innings, allowing five hits and one run while striking out three.

UA scored four times in the fourth and twice in the fifth to take a 6-0 lead. The Wildcats added two runs in the seventh and three in the eighth.

Brad Glenn went 3 for 5 and hit his 40th career homer for the Wildcats, while Dwight Childs went 2 for 3 with three RBIs.

Glenn and Childs scored three runs apiece.

Jett Bandy, Kyle Stiner and Bobby Coyle also had a pair of hits for Arizona.

Bryce Bandilla pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Guilmet, who won for the first time since March 13.

Stanford’s Jordan Pries (3-1) took the loss, allowing six runs in 4 1/2 innings. The Cardinal had just six total hits, and got their only run on a homer by Toby Gerhart in the sixth.

UA is still in last place in the Pac-10, a half-game behind Oregon. The teams meet again at 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. UA will be home next week to host Arizona State at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Guilmet

University of Arizona ace pitcher Preston Guilmet is struggling on the mound, partially because of the Wildcats’ problems off the field.

Academic woes and personal problems, resulting in the benching of some starters, and injuries have forced UA baseball coach Andy Lopez to constantly juggle his lineup and pitching rotation.

Arizona’s sixth postseason appearance in the past eight years is hanging in the balance as a result.

“We have a bunch of guys who can’t go to class,” Guilmet said.

The Wildcats (17-19 overall) have lost seven of their last eight Pac-10 games heading into this weekend’s three-game series at Stanford. Guilmet owns a respectable 4.09 ERA in five Pac-10 starts, but he has an 0-3 record to show for it.

Lopez wishes he had more players like Guilmet, a 6-foot-2 right-hander from Citrus Heights, Calif.

“I would sleep better, have better academic meetings. I would have a better record and I would probably be smiling a lot more,” Lopez said. “He is a really special young man. I’m going to miss him a lot.”

Despite a 2-4 overall record, Guilmet has tried to be a stabilizing force and a team leader. “I attribute a lot of that to my parents. They brought me up very well,” he said. “Playing for coach Lopez here, you learn a great deal of how to be a good person, and how to work hard in life. There are so many lessons. If you pay attention there are so many things you can pick up to be successful.”

Guilmet went 12-2 with a 1.87 ERA two years ago and 6-4 with a 4.38 ERA last season. He turned down a professional offer from the Oakland Athletics after his junior season.

“Preston really should be upset,” Lopez said. “He has done a great job of keeping his chin up and going. I think (last Friday at Washington State) was the first time (he thought), ‘Give me a break, come on,’ but he would never say that. I’m sure he will keep a stiff upper lip.”

The Wildcats were one win away from a College World Series appearance last season. But they lost much of their pitching staff – including first-round picks Ryan Perry and Daniel Schlereth – along with their offensive nucleus to the major league draft.

Despite a rebuilding year, Lopez didn’t expect the Cats to start the Pac-10 season 3-12 and be in last place.

“We need to catch fly balls and hit with runners on second base – things like that. We need to catch the ball better and throw strikes more consistently,” Lopez said. “The thing most frustrating to me is the intangible things. We have had guys that find it hard to do the basic things off the field.”

Lopez watched UA drop routine fly balls in three straight losses at Washington State last weekend.

Arizona hopes to regroup on Friday at Stanford with little margin for error.

If a .500-plus Pac-10 record were required to earn an NCAA Tournament appearance, the Cats would need to go 11-1 in their final league games.

“We have not given up,” senior Brad Glenn said. “Just as a man, you can’t give up. None of the coaches are going to give up on us, just for pride alone.”

———

PAC-10 BASEBALL

Team Conf. Overall

Arizona State 13-2 29-8

Oregon State 8-4 23-9

Washington St. 8-4 19-16

USC 9-6 20-17

UCLA 9-6 17-20

Stanford 7-8 16-16

Washington 4-8 15-22

California 5-10 18-19

Oregon 3-9 13-25

ARIZONA 3-12 17-19

———

Up next

UA at Stanford: 5 p.m. Friday; 1 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. Sunday. Radio: 1290-AM

The University of Arizona baseball team managed to salvage one win on its trip to Washington.

UA suffered a three-game sweep to Washington State over the weekend, but held on to beat Gonzaga 8-7 in Spokane, Wash., on Monday in a nonconference game.

Shaun Cooper had three hits for Arizona (17-19); Dillon Baird, Jett Bandy and Steve Selsky each had two.

Hunter Pace and Bandy homered for the Wildcats.

Joe Allison (3-0) picked up the win in relief, and Cory Burns picked up his first save.

Burns allowed the first two hitters to reach base in the bottom of the ninth, but got out of trouble without allowing a run.

Gonzaga fell to 25-13. Ernesto Ortiz had three hits and scored three runs for the Bulldogs.

UA visits Stanford for the start of a three-game series at 5 p.m. Friday.