BERKELEY – The California baseball got a stellar pitching performance from starter Luke Short (1-0) and got all the runs it needed from a bases-clearing triple from Jarren Advincula as the Golden Bears shutout rival Stanford 5-0 on Tuesday night at Stu Gordon Stadium.
Cal (8-3) got back in the win column and snapped a five-game skid against Stanford (6-6). In doing so the Bears improved to 6-0 at home this season. Cal finished the night with five runs on four hits and played terrific defense behind Short and a trio of relievers.
Short tossed his first quality start as a Golden Bear, going a season-best 6.0 complete. He scattered two hits and three walks while striking out four. Short needed just eight pitches to get out of the first and stayed in a grove all game. The Cardinal loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the second but Short got a strikeout to end the threat. He retired the next seven batters he faced before giving up a one-out infield single in the top of the fifth.
In the bottom of the second inning, Cal got some two-out thunder from the bottom of the order.
Max Handron started the rally getting hit by a pitch. Alec Ritch hit into a fielder’s choice to put runners at the corners for Seth Gwynn who worked a five-pitch walk to load the bases for Advincula. On an 0-1 offering, the freshman pulled a ball down the right field line that bounced up against the wall allowing all three runners to score.
The three runs were more than enough for Cal’s pitching staff, but they added two more runs in the fourth on a fielding and throwing error by Stanford first baseman Jimmy Nati that allowed two runs to score.
Tucker Bougie was the first Cal reliever out of the pen, he tossed 1.2 strong innings allowing three hits while striking out a pair. Connor Sullivan got the final out in the eighth to strand a pair of runners. Tyler Stasiowski pitched around an infield single and struck out the side in the top of the ninth to end the game.
Taking the loss for Stanford was starter Aiden Keenan (0-1). Keenan went two complete, allowing a hit, and three runs, with three walks and four strikeouts.
Stanford left 10 runners on base Tuesday evening and went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position. Jake Sapien went 3-for-3 and was stranded in scoring position all three times. Bady Reynolds also collected a pair of hits for Stanford.
