University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
Washington St
Bruins' Hot Streak Continues
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
April 24, 1999
WESTWOOD, Calif. - The UCLA Bruins tied season highs in runs (15) and hits (17) in a 15-8 defeat of the visiting Washington State Cougars Saturday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium. The Bruins (23-24, 7-7 Pac-10) have won eight of their last ten games, including six in a row in Pacific Ten conference play. The Cougars (18-21, 1-13 Pac-10), meanwhile, have lost 16 of 19, including twelve consecutive Pac-10 defeats.
Senior ss Jack Santora launched a two-run homer in the third inning to key a five-run frame for the Bruins that put them up 8-1 over the visitors. Sophomore lf Bill Scott and sophomore 1b Garrett Atkins hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth to help UCLA to an 11-1 lead. Santora's home run, his fourth of the year, was part of a career day for the senior from Monterey, CA. He ended the afternoon at 4-for-4 with four runs, a double, home run, two RBI, and two stolen bases. He reached base all five times he stepped up to the plate. Scott hit his team-leading sixteenth home run of the year, and Atkins went deep in back-to-back games, as he hit his sixth homer of the year yesterday versus the Cougars. Atkins also had a decent day at the plate, going 4-for-5 with four runs and two RBI. His four hits ties a career-high and extends his season-high hitting streak to thirteen games.
Down 11-1, the Cougars made things interesting by scoring four runs in the seventh and three in the eighth to pull tighten the game up at 11-8. The come back allowed UCLA sophomore rhp Chad Cislak to come in and pitch the final 1.2 scoreless innings to earn his fourth save of the year. The Bruin lineup gave Cislak added insurance with four runs in the bottom of the eighth. An RBI single by Atkins that scored Santora, who led off the inning with a double off the left field wall, a two-RBI double by senior c Jason Green, and an RBI single by freshman 3b Randall Shelley was UCLA's answer to Washington State's comeback.
Freshman rhp Josh Karp picked up his sixth win of the year for UCLA in pitching a rock-solid 6.1 innings against a resilient Cougar lineup. Karp gave up just four hits and three earned runs to the Cougars who had real problems solving Karp after scoring a run in the first inning. Karp held the Cougars to one hit and no runs in innings two through six, before handing the pitching duties over to freshman lhp Kurt Birkins with two away in the seventh.
Overall, UCLA hit .425 (17-40) versus Washington State, with all nine starters getting at least one hit or scoring one run, and eight of nine recording at least one hit. Junior rf Brian Baron contributed two hits, including a two-RBI double, and three RBI and sophomore dh Eric Reece clocked in with two hits and two RBI. Through the first two games of the series, the Bruins are hitting .360 (27-75) against the Washington State pitching staff.
Sophomore 2b Chase Utley tied a career-high by extending his hitting streak to thirteen games with a second-inning single off Cougar starter Jamaal Gaines, who fell to 2-4 on the season with the loss.
The Bruins scored 15 runs in a 16-15 loss at Washington on March 30, and recorded 17 hits in a 13-10 victory over Cal on April 3.
The Bruins and Cougars will play the series finale tomorrow, April 25 at 1:00pm at Jackie Robinson Stadium. UCLA's probable starter is sophomore lhp Bobby Roe (2-3, 3.72), while the Cougs' probable is junior rhp Reggie Rivard (1-1, 7.86). If you can't be there in person, the game can be heard live over the internet by accessing one of the two following websites: www.uclabruins.com or www.broadcast.com.
