Cal Baseball Defeats No. 24 Washington, Clinches Postseason Berth

SEATTLE – The California baseball team found itself trailing Washington 4-2 entering the top of the sixth inning on Saturday. That deficit did not last long as the Golden Bears erupted for 13 runs over the next two innings en route to a 16-11 victory over the No. 24 Huskies at Husky Ballpark. With the win, Cal secured the No. 9 seed in next week's Pac-12 Baseball Tournament.
 
Cal (24-26, 12-18 Pac-12) got home runs from Rodney Green Jr., Carson Crawford, Nathan Manning, Jack Johnston, and two from Caleb Lomavita.

Lomavita began the crucial nine-run sixth inning with a solo home run off Washington stellar reliever Chase Matter. The Bears sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning and got three-run home runs from Green Jr. and Johnston.

 
Matter (4-1) entered the game having only allowed one earned run in 21.1 innings this season but was roughed up for six earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning on Saturday.
 
Washington (33-16, 17-12 Pac-12) refused to go quietly. After giving up the big inning to the Bears, the Huskies scored seven runs over the final five innings. After a three-run home run by Coby Morales, the Huskies got two more aboard and had the tying run in the hole but could get no closer.

UW finished the afternoon with 11 runs on 18 hits. The Huskies tallied seven extra-base hits, including four home runs. Sam DeCarlo went 3-for-4 with two home runs scored and three driven in.

 
Paulshawn Pasqualotto (5-1) earned his fifth win of the season for the Bears. After allowing a run in the first inning, Pasqualotto held Washington scoreless for the next three innings. The Huskies scored three runs off the Bears' starter in the fifth, with the big hit being a two-run home run by Michael Snyder that briefly made it 4-2.

Pasqualotto's final line: five innings pitched, nine hits allowed, four runs, two walks, and three strikeouts.

 
In the fifth inning, Dom Souto put the Bears out front for good with an RBI single to right field that scored Kade Kretzschmar from second. Souto went 2-for-4 with a double and three runs scored. Green Jr. went 2-for-4 with a home run, double, three runs scored and three RBI. He also stole his 28th base of the season.

Kretzschmar went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two stolen bases. Johnston led the Bears with a career-high four RBIs.

 
The series win over the Huskies gives Cal three conference road series victories on the year. It is Cal's first series victory on the road over a ranked team since taking two of three from No. 25 USC at Dedeaux Field last March. The 11 home runs hit by the Bears in the series gives them 84 for the year, two shy of the program record set in 1999. Cal has hit 30 home runs in the month of May. 
 
UP NEXT
The win over the Huskies clinched the No. 9 seed in next week's Pac-12 Baseball Tournament. The Bears will be in Pool A with No. 1 Stanford and No. 6 Oregon. Cal will open the tournament on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. against the Ducks.