UCLA wins one-run affair against SDSU

  MARY CIECEK/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Preston
Griffin runs the bases in a game against Pepperdine.
UCLA 3 SDSU 2

By Jeff Agase
Daily Bruin Reporter

Just when the UCLA baseball team thought it could avoid yet
another stomach-churning one-run game with San Diego State, the
Aztecs made it interesting.

Fortunately for the Bruins (22-11 overall), the ninth-inning
rally by SDSU (21-15) fell one run short, and UCLA held on for a
3-2 victory before 580 fans at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

Bruin starter Paul Diaz (1-0) picked up the win after going four
innings and surrendering no runs on three hits in the third
consecutive one-run game between the teams.

“Pretty much everything was working,” Diaz said of
his performance. “We pitched pretty well and got good
defense, especially from Preston Griffin and (Josh)
Canales.”

Aztec pitcher Ben Julianel (1-5) was saddled with the loss after
allowing eight hits and the three Bruin runs in just over three
innings of work on the mound.

UCLA drew first blood in the third when centerfielder Matt Pearl
singled on a 3-2 count with one out. Ben Francisco moved Pearl into
scoring position with a single of his own and a passed ball allowed
Pearl to advance to third.

After a rare strikeout from Bruin batting leader Brian Baron,
left fielder Adam Berry walked to load the bases with two away.
Junior catcher Josh Arhart stepped up and laced a single to right
center, scoring Pearl and Francisco.

Diaz continued his stellar performance and his offense awarded
him with another run in the fourth. A Canales RBI single scored
third baseman Randall Shelley, who had singled and later reached
third on a throwing error by Aztec third baseman Pilar Amaya.

The bats on both squads went silent for the next four innings,
as Bobby Roe relieved Diaz with three scoreless innings of his own
and San Diego State reliever John Skinner held the Bruins to just
one hit over three middle innings.

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Mike Garber held off a Bruin scoring chance in the seventh when
he struck out Brandon Averill with two runners in scoring position.
Mike Moat averted a similar potential disaster the next inning,
when he forced Pearl to ground out with two down and the bases
full.

Mike Davern did his share of damage control for the Bruins in
the eighth, when he got an inning-ending groundout from pinch
hitter Darrell Bowles to preserve the shutout.

The shutout had a life of only eight innings, however, as Aztec
second baseman Carlos Cota hit a one-out home run off Kevin Jerkens
to pull within two and a groundout RBI from Amaya scored Sean
Pierce to cut the deficit to a single run.

Aztec Casey Janssen entered the game knowing he needed just one
out but that a single would win the game for San Diego State.
Janssen forced a groundout to shortstop Griffin to seal the
non-conference win for the Bruins.

Designated hitter Brian Baron entered the game leading the
nation in batting by 25 points with a gaudy .519 average but
connected on only one hit in five at bats. He has a hit in every
game but one this season.

“¢bull; “¢bull; “¢bull;

The Bruins host Washington tonight at 6 in the first game of a
three-game series. The Huskies have a 2-7 conference record but
possess two starters hitting above .400 and three undefeated
pitchers with impressive ERAs in Shawn Kohn (3-0, 1.29), Scott
Robertson (2-0, 1.46) and Sean White (3-0, 3.24).

Last season UCLA took two of three from the Huskies at Jackie
Robinson Stadium, winning a one-run Friday night game and a 12-5
Sunday afternoon contest. The Bruins look to make up Pac-10 ground
lost last weekend after two losses to conference-leading
Stanford.

“This weekend we can’t afford to lose any of the
games,” Diaz said. “We’ll be ready.”

Probable starters for tonight’s game are Jon Brandt (3-3,
5.76) for UCLA and Kohn for Washington.