By Matt Tresaugue

Arizona Daily Wildcat

It was the story of the season for the Arizona baseball team. A three-game sweep. Mental mistakes. Missed opportunities. Errors. Runners left on base. Could have. Should have. Didn't.

The Wildcats committed six errors, one fewer than their number of hits, to hand Southern Cal a 6-2 victory at Sancet Field on Saturday. The third-ranked Trojans (27-8, 13-5 in the Six-Pac) swept the weekend and season series.

"We're good enough to beat them," said UA left-hander Ben White, whose record fell to 2-5 after allowing all six runs (three earned) in 6 1/3 innings. "We should have got the win, but to beat teams like this you must make the plays _ mine

White accounted for two mistakes, including an errant pick off throw to first base that skirted into the right-field bullpen, allowing Alfonso Montoya to score from first. Montoya's run gave the Trojans a 5-1 lead in the seventh inning, effectively ending the Wildcats' chances.

"We gave them too many runs from mental mistakes, and that's what happens," said Coach Jerry Kindall, who pulled his team into the right-field corner following the game for a lengthy address on "family matters."

After USC built a 4-0 lead with one run on three UA errors in the sixth, Tony Bouie doubled and scored on a single by John Powers. But the threat ended when right-hander Justin Parle, who relieved winner Scott Henderson (3-0), retired Matt Lake and Scott Kidd on fly outs.

Bouie scored again in the eighth on Teddy Warrecker's pinch single. The Wildcats, however, stranded eight for the game, three in scoring position.

At the midway point in the Six-Pac schedule, the Wildcats (6-29, 2-13) are on pace to post the league's worst record since Cal finished 3-27 in 1990.

"The focus is to get that seventh win," said Kindall, whose team has failed in its last five attempts. "We need to come out with a purpose this week in practice."

The Wildcats open a three-game series with Arizona State at Sancet Field on Friday, before heading to Tempe for the remaining two games.

"They (the Wildcats) make you honest because they don't give in," said USC coach Mike Gillespie, whose team is first in the Six-Pac, 1 1/2 games ahead of ASU. "They will have some wins that will make an impact in the league race."