Ian May Too Much For Houston in Cal Baseball's Season-Opening Win

HOUSTON – Ian May tossed a career-high eight shutout innings and Rodney Green Jr. and Caleb Lomavita both launched home runs as the California baseball team cruised to a 7-0 win over host Houston in the 2023 opener.

Houston (0-1) made quick work of Cal’s (1-0) offense the first time through the order but the Bears came to life in the top of the fourth inning. Green Jr. knocked in Lomavita for the game’s first run of the contest and from there Cal’s offense came to life. The Bears finished the night with 7 runs on 7 hits. The big hit courtesy of Green Jr. who hit a three-run home run in the fifth to blow the game open.

It was Cal’s third consecutive victory on Opening Day and fourth overall under head coach Mike Neu since 2018.

May (1-0) was stellar in his 2023 debut. The lefty threw a career-high eight shutout innings on 103 pitches. His previous career-high for innings pitched was 5.2 at USC on Mar. 20, 2022. The 103 pitches also tops his previous high of 91 he threw at Arizona State on Apr. 3, 2022. It was just the fifth time in his career that he’s thrown 70 or more pitches. He fell one strikeout shy of tying his career-high, finishing the night with seven.

He retired the side in order four times on the evening and faced just four batters over the minimum. In his final inning of work, he struck out two and got a lazy fly ball to center as Houston went down quietly. The Cougars only threat of the evening game in the bottom of the fourth inning with runners are the corners. May ended the threat with a tremendous defensive play on a sharply hit ground ball back up the middle. His final line for the evening, 8.0 inning pitched, three hits, no runs, one walk and seven strikeouts on 103 pitches.

Green Jr. led the way offensively going 4-for-5 with four RBIs, three coming on the three-run blast in the fifth. Kade Kretzschmar, Jack Johnston, and Lomavita all had an RBI in the win. Peyton Schulze had his first hit as a Golden Bear when he singled up the middle in Cal’s three run fourth inning.

Christian Becerra threw a perfect ninth to shut the door on Houston. Taking the loss for the Cougars was starter Cade Citelli who went 4.0 complete, surrendering three hits, three runs, all earned, with a pair of walks and five strikeouts.

UP NEXT

Cal and Houston will resume the series tomorrow at 4:30 p.m. PT. The Bears will send junior Paulshawn Pasqualotto to the mound, Houston will counter with lefty Kyle LaCalameto.

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