UW looks to make Pac-10 amends against Cal

        Six games into the conference season, Washington's upcoming three-game home series against Pac-10-rival California will hold great implications for the rest of the season.

Washington (2-4 Pac-10, 14-7 overall), who dropped three Pac-10 games at Stanford last weekend, must beat other middle-of-the-Pac teams at home in order to rise in the standings. Cal (2-4, 15-14) took two of three at Husky Ballpark last year.

       "To make a move in the league, you have to win at home," said coach Ken Knutson. "We have to take two out of three at least. And after last week, we dug ourselves in a little bit of a hole."



       In order to do that, the Husky pitchers must control Cal's offense, which has shown signs of life lately. Coming into the weekend, Cal has hit at a .272 clip, good for eighth in the Pac-10. But last week, they exploded for 17 runs against Arizona State and scored 10 runs in the first inning against Washington State. 



      Today, junior right-hander Shawn Kohn (2-0, 2.57 ERA), the Huskies top reliever this season, will make his first career start.



      On Saturday, southpaw Zack Daniels (2-0, 4.30), who has spent time in both relieving and starting roles, will take the mound against the Golden Bears.



      "We're juggling our pitching a little bit," said Knutson, who was forced to find a replacement starter for staff ace Sean White, who suffered a shoulder injury Sunday against Stanford.  



       The strength of Cal's team, however, lies with its pitching. Cal's staff has a 3.50 ERA, second in the Pac-10, and is limiting opponents to a .253 average. But the Bears' lack of offense has killed them in the close games, and they are only 4-8 in games decided by one run. This should be an advantage for Washington, which earlier won two games against USC via late-inning, come-from-behind victories. 



       With any luck, Washington will continue hitting the ball like it did against Puget Sound on Wednesday. In that game, five different Huskies hit home runs en route to a 14-7 victory. That kind of balanced hitting has been the Huskies trademark this year, as nine Huskies are hitting .300 or better, while six have 12 or more RBIs. 



       The baseball team has thrived within the friendly confines of Husky Ballpark this season. Washington is 8-1 at home, while a meager 4-5 on the road.



       Tonight's action is slated for 6:30 with Saturday's and Sunday's games scheduled for 1 p.m.