Baseball Loses Another Close One, 6-5
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
March 6, 1999
WESTWOOD, Calif. - The USC baseball team put together a late rally, but suffered yet another frustrating close loss, 6- 5, at UCLA in a non-conference game on Saturday afternoon.
USC (7-12) fell to 1-6 in one-run games and lost for the fifth time this year when the tying run was in scoring position at the game's end. UCLA improved to 12-13.
In the top of the ninth with the Bruins holding a 6-4 lead, junior pinch-hitter Chris Ponchak walked and was replaced by freshman pinch-runner Brian Barre. Sophomore SS Seth Davidson singled Barre to third, and senior RF Greg Hanoian drove Barre home and advanced Davidson to third base with a double to left-center field.
With runners on second and third with one out, the next Trojan batter struck out. Senior LF Jason Lane was intentionally walked to load the bases, and the final USC hitter grounded out to second base.
The comeback almost made a winner of freshman RHP Tim Petke, who was very impressive in relief. He took over in the first inning in place of starting RHP Rik Currier (1-3) and went 7 1/3 innings, giving up six hits, two walks and one run with two strikeouts. But the Bruins' five-run first inning off of Currier proved to be too much to overcome.
Trailing 6-1 entering the top of the seventh, USC finally started putting runs on the board. One run came home on an error, and Davidson had an RBI single to make it 6-3. In the eighth inning, Lane led off with a double, moved to third on a groundout and scored on senior 1B Justin Lehr's RBI groundout.
The two teams meet again in the series finale on Sunday in Westwood at 1 p.m.
USC 100-000-211 --- 5-7-0
UCLA 510-000-00x --- 6-8-5
Currier, Petke (1) and Munson.
Brandt, Roe (7) and Green.
W - Brandt (5-1); L - Currier (1-3); SV - Roe (4).
HR - UCLA: Atkins (3).
