UCLA (23-1, 2-1) defeated Stanford (13-9, 3-3) Saturday behind the pitching of Rob Rasmussen (4-0) and the hitting of shortstop Niko Gallego, who went 3 for 4, and several other Bruin batters. The 7-5 victory gives the Bruins their first Pac-10 series win and moves them back into 2nd place in conference standings, behind Arizona State (25-1, 5-1) and ahead of Oregon State (18-6, 2-1). The Bruin victory begins another win streak, but as good as this team is, I doubt if the streak will last through the next couple of weeks, much less the month of April.
Next on the schedule is a home game against Cal State Fullerton (15-11), followed by a 3-game series at Oregon State and a home series with Oregon (19-10, 2-4). Although these teams do not have the balanced pitching and hitting strength that has characterized this year's Bruin team, they nevertheless have talented players who are capable of taking a game or two from any opponent. The Pac-10 will be a battleground this year.