Bears Complete Sweep of Washington On Senior Day

BERKELEY – For the second straight day, the California baseball team secured a walk-off win over Washington in extra innings. Today it was Seth Gwynn’s turn to be mobbed by teammates after hitting a single to the gap in right center that gave the Golden Bears a 4-3 win over the Huskies on Saturday at Stu Gordon Stadium.

With the win, Cal (34-18, 17-13 Pac-12) finishes the regular season with the most wins since 2015. It also gives the Bears 22 wins at home, the most since 2011. Gwynn’s single was also the eighth time this season Cal has won the game in their final at bat.

Saturday’s contest was dominated by the two pitching staffs. Cal’s quartet of Trey Newmann, Austin Turkington, Oliver Boone, and Connor Sullivan (3-0) held Washington’s (19-29-1, 10-20) offense largely in check.

Washington countered with Calvin Kirchoff, Spencer Dessart, Gianluca Shinn, and Parkin Sawyer (1-2) who held Cal to four runs on seven hits and did not allow a run till the bottom of the seventh.

Newmann made his 11th start of the season and held the Huskies scoreless for 5.1 innings. He allowed just four base runners on a pair of walks and two base hits. Twice he eliminated a lead-off base runner by picking them off at first.

In the top of the sixth, Newmann surrendered a 1-out single to Aiva Arquette, which ended his day. Cal turned the ball over to their bullpen starting with Austin Turkington.

Turkington got Cal out of the inning in the sixth. In the top of the seventh inning, he surrendered a leadoff home run to Cam Clayton, the first of two home runs on the day for the Huskies shortstop. Turkington went back to work and retired the next three batters.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh, Cal’s offense came to life. Rodney Green Jr. led off the inning with an opposite-field blast to tie the game up at 1-1. It was Green’s 14th home run of the season and 34th of his career. With one out, Max Handron singled, and Gwynn and Jag Burden both got hit by pitches to load the bases for Dominic Smaldino. The Bears’ designated hitter drew a four-pitch walk for the go-ahead run.

Cal added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when Green Jr. singled up the middle and scored from first on the double to right field from Peyton Schulze. The double for Schulze was his 21st of the year, which is tied for fourth most in a single season at Cal.  

In the top of the ninth, Clayton struck again. With one on and one out, he jumped on a 1-0 offering from reliever Oliver Boone and tied the game with a 2-run home run over the left field fence. Clayton finished the day going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three driven in. Boone got the next two batters out to end the frame, but the damage was done.

Connor Sullivan (3-0) retired the Huskies in order in the top of the 10th, getting a pair of strikeouts to get the Bears back into the dugout.

In the home half Green Jr. started the rally with an infield single to second base. He moved into scoring position with his 13th stolen base of the season. Handron flied out to deep center field to advance Green to third who eventually scored on the 2-out single to center field from Gwynn to win it. Green Jr. went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI. He was the only Cal player with multiple hits on the day.

The loss went to reliever Parkin who lasted 2.1 innings allowing two hits, and an earned run with a walk and a strikeout.

Saturday’s win secures the No. 6 seed for the Bears in the upcoming Pac-12 Baseball Championship. Cal will take on the No. 9 seed Washington on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Scottsdale Stadium. Tuesday’s game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.