Zito Leads Baseball Over California, 4-3
June 21, 1999 | Baseball
April 9, 1999
LOS ANGELES - Junior LHP Barry Zito won his sixth straight start to lead the No. 22 USC baseball team to a 4-3 victory against California in a Pacific-10 Conference game on Friday night at Dedeaux Field.
The Trojans improved to 21-17 overall and 8-2 in the Pac-10, good for second place. Cal fell to 15-23, 4-6.
Zito (7-2) went 7 2/3 innings and had five strikeouts while giving up four hits, three walks and three runs. During one stretch from the third through the eighth innings, he retired 14 straight batters.
By that time, USC had built a 4-1 lead. But in the top of the eighth, with two outs and a runner on first base, Cal sophomore 3B Xavier Nady doubled down the right-field line to score a run. Zito was relieved by senior RHP Justin Lehr, who gave up an RBI double to sophomore C Mike Tonis, making it 4-3, though Lehr then got the final out of the inning.
In the top of the ninth, junior CF Curtis Johnson walked with two outs, then stole second and third base to put the tying run 90 feet from home plate. But Lehr struck out the final batter to end the game and earn his third save.
California junior RHP Jon Shirley (4-4) pitched a complete game in the loss, going eight innings and giving up nine hits, one walk and four runs while striking out five.
The Golden Bears started the scoring in the top of the third when Nady slugged his Pac-10 leading 17th home run of the season, a solo shot to right-center field.
USC senior CF Brad Ticehurst led off the bottom of the fourth with his fifth home run of the season, tying the game. Later that inning, Lehr's bloop single into short right field scored one run, and junior 3B Justin Gemoll then had an RBI single. USC's fourth run came in the fifth inning when senior LF Jason Lane had a sacrifice fly.
USC, which had nine hits, got two each from Lehr and sophomore SS Seth Davidson. All five of Cal's hits came from two players, as Tonis went 3-for-4 and Nady went 2-for-3.
USC and California meet again on Saturday and Sunday (April 10-11) at 1 p.m.
CAL 001-000-020 --- 3-5-0 USC 000-310-00x --- 4-9-0Shirley and Tonis. Zito, Lehr (8) and Craig.
WP -- Zito (7-2) LP -- Shirley (4-4) SV -- Lehr (3).
HR -- USC: Ticehurst (5) CAL: Nady (17).
