Rookie third baseman Tony Hurtado came up big as he went 2-3, with two runs and great heads-up base running, while Colin Aita went 4-6, with two RBI's. The Dons have also seen great production out of two freshmen, third baseman Tony Hurtado, and outfielder Pat Walsh. Hurtado, although he has cooled down as of late, is hitting .292 on the year through Tuesday night along with six doubles, and has also been solid at the "hot corner" as well. "We are very pleased with his defense and he's going to be an All-Conference player," said Hill on Hurtado. "It's just how soon he'll do it on an everyday basis."
Freshman sensation Tony Hurtado threw in 2 hits and, drove in a run as Northridge enjoyed an 0-for-4 from All-American candidate Jermaine Clark. One of the few bright spots for the Dons this season has been their hitting, more specifically Clark, Hurtado, and Peter Quittner. Jermaine Clark is more certain of being named All-American than Michael Jordan is of being named MVP. Ball-magnet Tony Hurtado (shouldn't he be just covered with bruises by now?) has about the same chance to be named Freshman All-American this year.
Freshman All-American Tony Hurtado returns after hitting .321 last year with four homers and 28 RBI. Hurtado moves to second base this season, after starring at third base as a collegiate rookie. Coach Hill said that Hurtado is the man the Dons want at the plate in a crucial situation. "In my experience," said Hurtado, "you fail more than you succeed, but you want to be put in those types of situations and you want to do well. I just have to keep a positive attitude."
Once again, Hurtado has the dubious honor of leading the conference in the hit by pitches category. Hurtado, in his second season, along with Anthony Angel of LMU, racked up 16 apiece in the WCC. Hurtado, in his first two seasons, was hit by a total of 42 pitches. The NCAA career record is 68, set by Clay Schwartz from 1994-1997. In his third season, Hurtado shared the NCAA Division I record of 68 for hit-by-pitch and was expected to set-the record at the end of the year. As a senior, infielder Tony Hurtado was hit by 90 pitches while at bat. Hurtado owns the NCAA record for career hit-by-pitch.
On the plus side for the Dons, both Taggert Bozied and Tony Hurtado continued their hitting dominance. Bozied had a two-run homer in the fourth inning which brought his streak up to 14 while Hurtado sent a two-run single. Revenge was not forthcoming for San Francisco either, although the Dons fought hard to send Los Angeles home with a blemish on their record. Much like the first day however, LA's pitching kept the Dons from taking over the game. LMU's Ben Bonilla, who currently holds an 8- 0 record, allowed six runs, but struck down nine batters at the plate. On the flip side, USF's Peter Dunkle had the worst 3 innings of his career as he allowed six runs from five hits, walked four batters and managed to smack two batters at the plate. On the plus side for the Dons, both Taggert Bozied and Tony Hurtado continued their hitting dominance. Bozied had a two-run homer in the fourth inning, which brought his streak up to 14, while Hurtado sent a two-run single deep into right field in the sixth, and shot his second homer of the season in the bottom of the eighth (TheFoghorn).
