UA, UCLA meet again tonight

Brian D. Rothschild Arizona Daily Wildcat UA sophomore catcher Greg Clark (26) crouches for a pitch from lefty Rob Shabansky during last Sunday's California game. The Wildcats travel to Los Angeles to play UCLA for the second time this season.

In the first meeting of the season in Tucson, the Wildcats took two of three games against the then-No. 1 Bruins, with UCLA avoiding the sweep with a 12-1 victory in the rubber match.

Following that series, the Bruins lost their No. 1 ranking, while Arizona jumped into a tie for first place in the Pacific 10 Conference Southern Division and made its first appearance in the national polls since 1993.

In the first game of that series, UA sophomore pitcher Darrell Hussman pitched a five-hit, complete game en route to earning his first conference pitcher of the week award.

Hussman (4-4, 4.97 ERA), a right-hander, gets the 7 p.m. start.

A lot has changed since their first meeting in early March, however.

"We have come a long way," Arizona head coach Jerry Stitt said. "We are a better club, and UCLA is a better club."

No. 19 Arizona is currently 29-16, 11-7 in the Six-Pac, which is good enough for second place in the conference. Impatientely waiting in third is No. 5 UCLA (29-10-1, 9-6 in the Six-Pac).