University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
Harvard
UCLA Baseball Sweeps Series From Harvard
March 18, 2000 | Baseball
March 18, 2000
WESTWOOD, Calif. -- Following a convincing 9-2 victory over Harvard on Friday night, UCLA took both games from the Crimson in a doubleheader Saturday afternoon at Jackie Robinson Stadium to complete the series sweep and extend its winning streak to seven games.
The matinee was a thriller that saw Harvard (0-3, 0-0 Ivy League) take a 4-2 lead on UCLA (14-10, 0-0 Pac-10) before the Bruins came back to tie it with runs in the seventh and eighth innings. Junior reliever RHP Jon Brandt (3-3) did his part by holding the Crimson scoreless over the final 4.2 innings to set the stage for junior RF Nick Lyon, who completed the rally with a game-winning solo shot to left field off a 1-2 delivery from Harvard reliever Derek Lennon (0-1). It was Lyon's second career game-winning home run, the first coming as a freshman at Cal on Feb. 15, 1998.
Just as Lyon's teammates mobbed the 6'5" Monroe, WA native as he crossed the plate to end game one, the Bruins mobbed the Crimson in the nightcap, 10-3. Junior LHP Bobby Roe (3-2) and four UCLA home runs were the story in game two, as the Bruins scored at least one run in each of the first six innings to provide the southpaw from Plano, TX with more than enough run support. Roe kept the Harvard bats quiet for the evening by striking out a career-high nine batters while walking just two and allowing no earned runs off six hits in six innings on the hill. It was the second straight outing that Roe established a career-high in K's, as he struck out eight in eight frames vs. Bradley on March 12 to break his previous mark of seven recorded last season.
Junior 2B Chase Utley extended his hitting streak to 14 games by homering off John Birtwell (0-1) in his first trip to the plate in game two. Not only was it Utley's team-high tenth homer of the year, but it was also the fourth time in 2000 that the Long Beach product has gone deep in his first at-bat of the game. Junior 1B Garrett Atkins (8th of the year) and sophomore 3B Randall Shelley (1st of the year) both hit two-run shots, while junior LF Bill Scott (9th of the year) blasted a solo home run in the sixth as part of a 4-4, two double performance in game two. Scott also went deep in game one, his eighth of the season being a two-run roundtripper that tied the game at two heading into the fifth. On the day, Scott was 6-8 with three doubles, two home runs, and four RBI. Junior LHP Ryan Carter closed out the nightcap by shutting out Harvard on one hit and five strikeouts over the final three innings to earn his first save of the season and second of his career.
The UCLA pitching staff, which used just six pitchers in three games against the Crimson, combined for a phenomenal 41 strikeouts in 27 IP this weekend.
The Bruins will take the upcoming week off to complete finals before hosting the Washington Huskies (5-9, 0-0 Pac-10) in a three-game set at Jackie Robinson Stadium March 25-27 to open the Pac-10 season. All games will begin at 1 p.m.
