Koklys Puts His Stamp on CSUN

Teams in the California Collegiate Athletic Assn. bade Charlie Webb a long goodby last season when the Cal Poly Pomona pitcher concluded his eligibility with a 12-6 record in 1987.

Webb, drafted by the Seattle Mariners, completed 16 of his 17 starts--including 15 in a row--to win CCAA co-Pitcher of the Year honors.

It is still early in Wayne Koklys’ career, but the sophomore right-hander has begun to inspire comparisons to Webb and the other Bronco workhorses who have helped Pomona win three Division II national titles.

Tuesday at Cal State Northridge, Koklys pitched his sixth complete game of the season as Pomona beat the Matadors, 9-1.

The win brings Pomona (23-17 overall, 11-6 in conference play) to within 1 1/2 games of conference-leading UC Riverside (13-5).

“We’re trying to make it a two-team race,” said Koklys, who surrendered five hits and did not issue a walk. “It’s up to us because we have three games left with Riverside down the stretch. We want it in our own hands.

“We don’t want to leave it to someone else to win or beat someone else for us.”

Northridge (16-25, 7-9), however, is going to need some assistance to keep its title hopes alive. In the meantime, the Matadors must start to help themselves.

“Northridge is still in it,” Pomona Coach John Scolinos said. “We’re only halfway through. Everyone is in it except Dominguez Hills.”

Northridge pitcher Fili Martinez, who was making his first start since shutting out Riverside on April 2, said he didn’t feel rusty. But Pomona shortstop Dave Hajek didn’t give the junior left-hander much time to get in a groove, knocking his first pitch over the left-field wall.

The Matadors answered with a run in the home half of the first when Lenn Gilmore doubled and Mark Bowen followed with a run-scoring single.

Pomona added two runs in the third on an run-scoring double by Jim Chapman and a run-scoring single by Keith Barrett. The Broncos increased their lead to 5-1 in the sixth when Barrett followed an infield single by Jim Stowell with a triple to center and scored one out later on a double by Chris Butterfield.

Pomona finished its scoring in the eighth with a four-run rally that was keyed by junior Bill Beeman’s two-run homer off Martinez (1-3).

The blast was Beeman’s fourth hit of the game and his first home run as a collegian.

The story of the game, however, was Koklys (6-3, 185), who faced just 30 batters and retired the last 11 in a row.

“We figured he’d be our stopper at the beginning of the season and then he started laying eggs on us,” Scolinos said. “Now he’s starting to come back.”

And as Koklys’ proved with his Webb-like performance against Northridge, he already has learned how to finish what he starts.