Pitching Overpowers BYU

BERKELEY – The California baseball team did not disappoint the home crowd in its first game at Stu Gordon Stadium. The Bears’ pitching staff overpowered visiting BYU striking out 13, while the offense scored early and in bunches as the Golden Bears defeated visiting BYU 8-0 on Wednesday evening.

Earning the win for Cal (3-1) was freshman pitcher Quinn Larson (1-0). Larson tossed four strong scattering two hits and two walks while striking out six in his home debut. He struggled with his command early, allowing two base runners in each of the first two innings to reach. But a double play in the first and two harmless fly balls in the second allowed Larson to escape the jam early. From there he was lights out, holding BYU to a hit and a walk over his final two innings of work, striking out the side in the third.

Larson got all the run support he would need in the bottom of the first inning. Max Handron led off the game with a double the opposite way. Handron came around to score on a base hit up the middle from Caleb Lomavita. The big hit of the inning came two batters later when Ryan Tayman blasted a ball over the left-field fence for his second home run of the season.

Cal added two more runs in the second off a two-run single from Lomavita. The preseason All-American finished the evening 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three driven in. Tayman went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI. Rodney Green Jr. also collected three RBI when he hit an opposite-field home run in the bottom of the seventh to put the game on ice. It was the second of the year for Green and 22nd of his career.

Cal’s bullpen was stellar. Freshman Oliver Boone made his collegiate debut and went three strong allowing just a hit and three walks while striking out four. Austin Turkington tossed two complete in his 2024 debut, he allowed a hit and struck out three.

Taking the loss for the Cougars was starter Bryce Robinson (0-1) who tossed five complete, allowing five earned runs with two walks and five strikeouts. Catcher Parker Goff went 2-for-4 with a double.

UP NEXT

Cal begins a three-game series against visiting Connecticut on Friday. The Bears and Huskies are scheduled to begin Friday’s game at 6:05 p.m. The game will be streamed on the Cal Live Stream.

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