Huskies’ pitcher shuts out Bruins
By Daily Bruin Staff
April 12, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 MARY CIECEK/Daily Bruin Senior Staff Matt
Pearl bats during UCLA’s 11-3 win over Pepperdine last
week. The Bruins lost to the Washington Huskies 3-0 Thursday at
home. Washington 3 UCLA 0
By Jeff Agase
Daily Bruin Reporter
Bruin starter Jon Brandt pitched a complete game in one of his
best outings of the season, but the UCLA offense was unable to
score a run in a 3-0 loss to Washington Thursday night at Jackie
Robinson Stadium.
The sparse crowd of 255 was treated to a gem of a
pitcher’s duel between Brandt and Husky starter Shawn Kohn,
who upped his record to 4-0 with the win. Kohn went the distance,
allowing only four hits, walking just one batter, and striking out
six in a game that lasted just over two hours.
Brandt (3-4) gave up one run on three occasions ““ in the
first, third, and ninth innings, only one of which was earned.
The solid performance was a welcome change from his recent
slump.
“I could tell yesterday that we took these guys
lightly,” Brandt said. “The only reason that I
didn’t fall into that is because I’ve pitched so
(poorly) lately that I knew I had to come out and pitch my ass off,
maybe to even stay in the starting lineup.”
The first inning of play set the stage for a game that the
Bruins (22-12, 4-6 Pac-10) played flatly. UCLA shortstop Preston
Griffin booted leadoff man Ben Miller’s grounder, giving
Miller first base.
After a fielder’s choice moved Miller to second, Husky
left fielder Jay Garthwaite hit a chopper between Griffin and third
baseman Randall Shelley with the hit-and-run on, scoring
Miller.
Brandt got a pop-out to end the inning with runners on second
and third, but the defensive miscues showed the lack of preparation
UCLA Head Coach Gary Adams lamented after the game.
“I told them we’ve been winning games all year
playing with enthusiasm and intensity,” Adams said about his
postgame talk with his squad. “We’ve been scratching
and clawing and we’re not more talented than anyone else but
we’ve been winning because we’ve been out-fighting
them. I thought tonight we came out and were “˜blah, blah,
blah’ all the way through. We were “˜blah’ in our
preparation.”
In contrast, the Huskies (19-11, 3-7) came out of the gates
playing as if they were in first, not last, place in the Pac-10.
They followed the run in the first with another in the third, this
time off a sacrifice fly from Davidson.
But the most sparkling performance came from Kohn, who entered
the evening contest leading his team with a 1.29 ERA and the
Huskies’ only complete game.
“I was surprised we didn’t do better against
him,” Adams said. “I think he was throwing 83 miles per
hour. He wasn’t throwing that hard, but he had a sinking
fastball and a slider.”
The only Bruin offensive opportunity came and went in the fifth
when Griffin grounded into a double play with one out and the bases
loaded. The inning marked the only time the Bruins advanced a
runner to third base.
An insurance run in the ninth off of a Ben Johnson RBI single
sealed the Huskies’ third shutout on the year and
Kohn’s second.
The Bruins entertain Washington for two more critical conference
games this weekend. Today’s game starts at 6 p.m. and first
pitch Saturday is slated for 1 p.m.
UCLA second baseman Josh Canales and the rest of the team see
the weekend games as crucial for making a run in the Pac-10
race.
“We have to win two games if we want to be .500 in the Pac
again,” he said. “We’re sitting right in the
middle and we’re putting ourselves in some bad situations,
but we just have to keep scrapping.”
