April 30, 2000

Box Score

PULLMAN, Wash. -- UCLA left fielder Bill Scott went 4-for-6 with two home runs, a triple, and eight RBI to lead the Bruin baseball team past the Washington State Cougars 14-1 in Pac-10 action Sunday afternoon at a sun-drenched Bailey-Brayton Field.

The win gave the Bruins their second Pac-10 sweep of the year and their fifth overall in 2000. UCLA is now 28-20 overall and expected to climb back into the national polls with an 11-4 Pac-10 record. WSU dropped its fourth straight contest and are now 16-29 on the year, 4-14 in league play.

Scott clubbed three-run home runs in the first and third innings, then added a two-run triple in the ninth. His four-hit performance upped his season batting average to .416 and continues to make a run at the National Player of the Year award.

On the mound, UCLA starter Bobby Roe was masterful, scattering only six hits and yielding one run in his eight innings on the hill. Roe, a junior lefty from Plano, Texas, tied a career high with his eight-inning appearance. Junior Scott Arrasmith finished the Cougs off with a perfect ninth inning.

Reggie Rivard took the loss for the Cougars to fall to 0-5 on the year. Rivard suffered through four-run first inning and ended up giving up eight runs in 2.1 innings. Zach Fisher, although giving up six runs and 15 hits, showed signs of brilliance on the mound out of the bullpen. The sophomore right-hander held the Bruins scoreless from the fourth tell eighth frames.

The Bruins jumped out to the early lead and never looked back. Right Fielder Matt Pearl started the game in dramatic fashion with a leadoff home run over the center field fence. The next five Bruins then reached base on hits, with Scott's first homer of the day providing most of the damage.

The Bruins big inning of the day came in the third when UCLA scored six runs. Garrett Atkins brought home a run with one of his five hits on the afternoon, and Scott clubbed his second longball of the day and his 17th of the season.

The Cougs only score of the game came in the second frame when Justin Williams hit a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded to bring home Jason Grove who led the inning off with a double.

The Bruins were solid all around with 25 hits and only one error, and made a statement as they close in on the Pac-10 lead. Every starter recorded at least one hit and all but two recorded multiple-hit games. Pearl was 4-for-5 with a pair of RBI to raise his batting average to .412. Atkins was also hot at the plate with a perfect 5-for-5 afternoon. Chase Utley (3x5) and Jim Hemming (3x5) also reached the three-hit column.

The Cougars were led by Steve Curran and Bookie Gates who each tallied two-hit games. Left fielder Williams came to the plate with the bases loaded three times, but left seven men on base.

The Cougars will take most of the week off as the players prepare for finals and then will return to action next weekend with at three-game series at Washington. The Huskies are coming off a Pac-10 series with the Oregon State Beavers in which they lost two of three.

UCLA  416  000  003 - 14  25  1
WSU   010  000  000 -  1   6  0
Bobby Roe, Scott Arrasmith (9), and Forrest Johnson.
Reggie Rivard, Zach Fisher (3), and Jon Baeder.
W - Roe (6-4),L - Rivard (0-5), S - None, HR - Scott 2 (17), Pearl (4).
T - 2:33, A - 436.
UCLA Hits - Pearl 4, Utley 3, Atkins 5, Scott 4, Johnson 2, Hemming 3, Shelley 2, Merricks, Canales.
WSU Hits - Grove, Curran 2, Gates 2, Baeder.
E - Canales (4).
2B - Atkins (10), Hemming (5), Grove (7), 3B - Scott (1).