By Nick Taylor Daily Bruin Contributor
Some would say the UCLA baseball team has played well lately
while up against average competition. Last weekend, conference
rival Oregon State proved to be a bigger test.
After their three-game sweep of the Beavers (16-14, 0-3 Pac-
10), the Bruins (20-11, 5-1 Pac-10) put to rest any doubts about
their performance.
"Going two of three against Washington was all right," left
fielder Bill Scott said. "Oregon State was a bigger test. They’ve
played us tough (in the past). This series showed us a little more
about where we are."
In the first game, Oregon State’s Scott Nicholson and Bruin Rob
Henkel matched each other in a pitcher’s duel. UCLA, which had won
10 of its past 11 games, struck first blood with a run in the
third.
In the bottom of the third, Oregon State had a golden
opportunity to get to Henkel.
With runners on second and third with one out, Henkel struck out
the next hitter, setting the stage for the game’s key moment. Josh
Carter, the strong-hitting Oregon State right fielder, smashed a
grounder to third, but third baseman Randall Shelley dove, made a
great stop and then threw across the diamond where first baseman
Garrett Atkins dug the throw out to preserve the lead.
UCLA extended their lead to 2-0 by adding a run in the fourth.
That was enough for Henkel, who dominated the rest of the way,
striking out 11 and allowing only a run in the eighth for his fifth
victory and second consecutive complete game as UCLA took the win,
3-1.
"Henkel pitched very well," Oregon State head coach Pat Casey
said. "We had a couple of opportunities where we needed to put the
ball in play and we didn’t."
Little-used Matt Pearl shined offensively for UCLA with three
hits, driving in two.
The second game of the series was hardly similar to the first.
UCLA, overcoming the ejection of both hitting coach Vince
Beringhele in the first inning and Adams in the third, scored 17
unanswered runs to overpower the Beavers, 18-10.
Catcher Forrest Johnson, buoyed by his triple on Friday, had a
perfect day at the plate. He went four for four, scored five runs,
drove in five, walked twice and hit two homers, including a
game-tying grand slam in the fifth.
Oregon State took an early 5-0 lead off of Josh Karp in the
second inning. They scored another in the third, and then UCLA
answered. Hitless through three innings, the Bruins scored one in
the fourth and six in the fifth to take the lead.
They piled on 10 more runs in the sixth and seventh innings to
pull away. Meanwhile, Karp settled down and pitched five innings to
get the win. Reliever Kevin Jerkens finished the game, throwing two
and two-thirds of shutout ball.
"Our bullpen’s doing great. Kunes, Jerkens, they’re doing the
job," said UCLA right fielder Nick Lyon, who did his job by hitting
a homer and driving in four.
On Sunday, the teams battled to a standstill for six innings,
but the Bruins pulled away with a run in the seventh and three in
the ninth for the series sweep. Scott homered for the second
straight day and extended his hitting streak to 14 games. Johnson,
Atkins and Chase Utley each had two hits to balance the attack.
Ryan Carter, fully recovered from an early-season injury,
relieved starter Bobby Roe and pitched well. He struck out six in
just over three innings of work, and, with the tying run on third
with one out in the eighth, worked out of the jam to preserve the
lead.
"He’s coming around," Scott said. "We need him to do well."
UCLA has now won 13 of 14 games following the 9-5 win.
Up next for the Bruins is Loyola Marymount. The teams play today
at Jackie Robinson Stadium at 6 p.m.
In the teams’ last meeting, the Lions came back to beat the
Bruins on a bases-loaded double in the bottom of the ninth
inning.
"We owe them for last time," Bruin outfielder Matt Pearl
said.
Final Score: UCLA 3, OSU 1 ; UCLA 18, OSU 10 ; UCLA 9, OSU 5