College Baseball : Chapman’s Bird Shuts Down Fullerton, 8-1

After the Chapman College baseball team finished 26-29 last year, Mike Weathers, Chapman coach, said his pitching staff would be improved this season.

Sophomore David Bird gave support to that theory when he pitched a four-hitter in Chapman’s 8-1 victory over Cal State Fullerton Thursday at Titan Field in the Panthers’ season opener.

Bird, a left-hander, struck out five and at one point retired 16 of 18 batters in his complete-game victory over the Titans, the defending Pacific Coast Athletic Assn. champions.

Bird, from Sonora High School, was 7-4 last year with a 2.95 earned-run average in 27 appearances.

“We didn’t expect to get nine innings out of David,” Weathers said. “But the last seven, he only threw 82 pitches. He pitched a great game.”

Bird received plenty of offensive help as Chapman had 16 hits off four Titan pitchers. Bryan Beals had two hits, including a solo home run to right in the eighth inning. Second baseman Bucky Bollinger and first baseman Mike Grahovac added four hits each for the Panthers. “We are more of a one-run team,” Weathers said. “The difference today was our offensive execution.”

The Panthers scored twice in the second and fifth innings and three times in the eighth.

Junior Paul Johnson (0-1) took the loss for Fullerton (1-1). Mike Ross had two of the four Titan hits. The teams will meet again today at Hart Park in Orange at 2:30 p.m.

Arizona 17, UC Irvine 6--Dave Shermet had three hits and five RBIs and Kevin Long three hits and three RBIs to lead the host Wildcats in the season opener for both teams. Keith Lane pitched seven innings for the victory, and Jeff Kaack took the loss. Jeff Oberdank had two doubles, a home run and three RBIs for Irvine.