BERKELEY – The California baseball team won another dramatic game on Sunday, this time winning it in the bottom of the ninth on a walk-off single by Rodney Green Jr. to complete the sweep over visiting UCONN. The 5-4 win gives the Golden Bears their sixth win of the season and first series sweep at home since Cal swept Utah May 19-21, 2022.
Sunday’s contest was drastically different than the 15-12 slugfest on Saturday. The two starting pitchers were sensational, through six innings leading to the late-inning dramatics.
In the bottom of the ninth with the contest tied 4-4, Matthew Thomas led off the inning with a pinch-hit single to short. Jack Johnston came in as a pinch runner for Thomas. PJ Moutzouridis singled through the left side, his second hit of the day, moving Johnston into scoring position. A fielder’s choice put runners at the corners with one out for Caleb Lomavita who was hit by a pitch for the second time in the contest to load the bases for Green. On a 1-1 count, Green hit a fly ball over the left fielder’s head for a single that scored the winning run.
Neither side was able to achieve much offensively through the first two innings. Cal (6-1) starter Tom Mayer pitched around a one-out error in the third and faced just one of the minimum through three innings, needing just 32 pitches. Mayer was stellar in his first start of the season, tossing six complete. He scattered two hits a walk and struck out five. The six innings pitched is a career-best for the graduate transfer.
UCONN (2-4) starter Stephen Quigley was equally sharp. He matched zeros with Mayer until the third inning when Alec Ritch led off the inning with a walk and eventually scored on the base hit from Moutzouridis. Quigley started the seventh but could not record an out. He went 6.0+ allowing four hits, two runs – both earned, with three walks and four strikeouts.
Cal turned it over to its bullpen in the top of the seventh, holding a 1-0 lead. Freshman Oliver de la Torre was the first of four relief pitchers used. He allowed an infield single to the leadoff hitter Korey Morton who moved to second on a wild pitch and third on a sacrifice bunt. With one away, Tyler Minick singled through the left side to score Morton from third and tie the game up. Ryan Daniels became the third Huskie to single in the inning, he slapped one through the right side past Peyton Schulze that allowed pinch runner Drew Kron from second. That ended the day for de la Torre.
Tyler Stasiowski entered the game with two on and one out. The Huskies loaded the bases against the Cal senior, but he recorded a pair of strikeouts to stop the damage and keep it a one-run ball game.
In the home half, Lomavita came to the plate with two on facing new pitcher Tommy Ellisen. On a 1-0 count, Lomavita jumped all over a 1-0 fastball for a three-run home run over the left-center fence. It was the third of the year for Lomavita and the 26th of his career and briefly gave Cal a 4-2 lead.
The lead did not last long, however, the Huskies struck back in the eighth. A leadoff walk proved costly to Connor Sullivan as the next batter, Matt Garbowski pulled a ball down the left field line that just stayed fair for a game-tying two-run home run. Sullivan bucked down retiring the next two batters to get the Bears back into the dugout.
The ninth-inning drama began in the top of the ninth when Austin Turkington (1-0) loaded the bases with one out. He worked himself out of the jam getting Maddix Dalen and Morton to go down swinging.
That set up the fireworks for the Bears in the home half. Taking the loss was Brady Afthim (0-1).
UP NEXT
Cal wraps up its five-game homestand on Tuesday when Sacramento State comes to Stu Gordon Stadium. Tuesday’s game against the Hornets is slated for a 6:05 pm first pitch and will be streamed on the Cal Live Stream.
Related:
Bears Take Game 1 Thanks to the Long Ball
Pitching Overpowers BYU
