Bruins hope to defend home ground
By Daily Bruin Staff
Feb. 7, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 MOHAMMAD ALVI Sophomore Wade Clark
pitches in a game against Loyola Marymount on Tuesday. The Bruins
will host UNLV this weekend at Jackie Robinson Stadium.
By Dylan Hernandez
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
The UCLA baseball team will host its first three-game series of
the year when it takes on UNLV this weekend at Jackie Robinson
Stadium.
The Bruins (3-2) played their home opener Tuesday against Loyola
Marymount and won 10-6.
UCLA head coach Gary Adams wants to make sure the team continues
winning in its home park.
“I want our team to feel like this is our field and that
no one can beat us here,” he said. “I don’t think
we’ve had that in the past. We have to take ownership of our
own field.”
The Hustlin’ Rebels (2-1) come into UCLA after taking 2 of
3 games from Washington State a week ago. In the WSU series, UNLV
scored 25 runs.
“UNLV always plays solid baseball,” senior shortstop
Josh Canales said. “But we have home-field advantage. We have
to protect our house.”
To halt the Rebel attack, the Bruins will send junior preseason
All-American Josh Karp (0-0) to the mound. Karp has thrown seven
innings this season, giving up only one earned run. He has struck
out nine batters.
Seniors Bobby Roe (1-0) and Jon Brandt (1-0) will be the
starting pitchers in the following two contests.
Offensively, UCLA will counter with a lineup that has averaged
more than 10 runs a game.
Senior designated hitter Brian Baron is 11 for 15 on the season
and carries a .733 average into the weekend. He and senior
outfielder Matt Pearl, who is batting .524, each have six RBIs.
Senior first baseman Eric Reece (.450) is leading the team in
runs driven in with 10.
Unlike last year’s team, whose runs were a product of
brute strength, the 2001 Bruins score by methodically moving its
runners over one by one.
“There aren’t many home run hitters, but there are a
lot of good, solid hitters on the team,” Pearl said.
“We’re playing more as a team this season.”
“We’re going to play small ball a lot,” Baron
added. “It’s pretty good. We get to play a little
baseball.”
The first game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. Friday. Saturday
and Sunday’s contests are slated for 1 p.m.
