Bears Hang On, Advance To Semifinals

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Christian Becerra entered the game in the bottom of the ninth with one down and the tying run at the plate. He needed just two pitches to record the save, getting Arizona’s Richie Morales to line out in a game-ending 4-3 double play to secure a 7-5 win over the top-seeded Wildcats. With the win, the California baseball team will advance to Friday’s semifinals where it will take on USC.

Cal (36-18) improves to 18 games over .500 and has now won 20 of its last 24 contests following Thursday’s thrilling victory. The Golden Bears brought the thunder, with Peyton Schulze smashing two home runs as Cal scored seven runs on 13 hits. On the mound, the Bears got another tremendous pitching performance from their starter.

Luke Short (6-2) went 5.1 innings, scattering four hits, and two runs – both earned, with two walks, while striking out eight. Short needed 20 pitches to get out of the bottom of the first but was able to pitch around a 2-out walk. In the second he was nearly immaculate – striking out the side on 11 pitches.

Arizona (34-21) finished the night with five runs on eight hits, the big hit was a 3-run home run from Maddox Mihalakis in the bottom of the eighth. Mihalakis was a thorn in the Bears' side all evening, going 1-for-4 with a run scored and four driven in. He had a sacrifice fly in the fourth to score the Wildcats’ first run of the evening.

The third inning once again proved to be fruitful for the Bears. Jarren Advincula led off with a walk, and Caleb Lomavita moved him over with a single through the left side. With one out, Schulze blasted a 2-0 offering over the fence in left-center for his first home run of the evening and ninth home run of the year.

Enjoying a 3-0 lead, Short went back to work. He retired the side in order in the third, including the final two via strikeout, giving him seven through three complete.

The Wildcats got their first hit of the evening in the bottom of the fourth when Morales led off the frame with a single to right field. A second base hit from Garen Caulfield had runners at the corners with one out. Mihalakis hit a fly ball deep enough to left field to plate Morales for the first run of the game for Arizona.

Advincula and Lomavita were once again the table-setters in the four-run top of the fifth inning. Advincula singled and Lomavita was hit by a pitch to put two aboard for Rodney Green Jr., who knocked them in with a double down the right field line to make it 5-1. The next batter, Schulze, jumped all over a first-pitch fastball for a 2-run home run – his second of the night, increasing Cal’s lead to six.

In the bottom of the sixth Mason White led off the inning with a long home run to right field. It was his 19th of the year. Short quickly went back to work and got a ground out for the first out of the inning, but a 1-out walk ended his night.

Tyler Stasiowski came on to pitch in the bottom of the sixth with one out and a runner on, he struck out two and got the Bears back into the dugout with a 7-2 lead.

In the seventh and eighth innings, Cal had their chances to add on but stranded three runners in scoring position. Stasiowski continued to throw up zeros retiring four in a row before running into trouble in the eighth. With one out, White and Caulfield recorded back-to-back singles to put two on for Mihalakis, who clobbered an 0-1 offering over the right field fence for his third home run of the year.

Stasiowski worked himself out of the jam recording two more strikeouts. He finished the night going 3.0 complete, allowing four hits, and three runs, with a walk and six strikeouts. Becerra finished the game to earn the save, his fourth of the year.

Advincula was one of five Bears with multiple hits on the evening. He finished the night going 3-for-3 with two runs scored. Lomavita also had two hits and scored two runs. Green Jr. went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Schulze went 2-for-5 with five batted in.  

Cal returns to action on Friday afternoon, taking on USC at 2:30 p.m. at Scottsdale Stadium. Friday’s winner will play the winner of Stanford/Arizona on Saturday in the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament Championship.

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