Cal Comes From Behind To Take Series At No. 23 Virginia

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.— The California baseball team came from behind to win a Sunday slugfest rubber match over No. 23 Virginia 8-7 at Disharoon Field to claim its first ranked series of the season.

The Golden Bears (27-24, 10-17 ACC) used seven pitchers and three long balls to stave off a five-home run effort by the Cavaliers (33-19, 13-15 ACC). Host UVA outhit Cal 11-7 but left six on base while the Bears were incredibly efficient, stranding just one and getting its eight runs from eight different hitters.

For the first time this weekend the Bears fell behind with the Hoos getting three two-out home runs through the first three innings to go up 4-0. Cal senior Ethan Foley earned his second straight Sunday start and gave up those four runs on seven hits in four innings of work while striking out three.

The Cal offense was quiet the first time through the order, but the bottom half of the lineup got the Bears going in the fifth inning with centerfielder Ethan Kodama collecting a sac-fly from the eighth spot. With two outs, right fielder and nine-hole hitter Gannon Snyder stepped to the plate and belted his first home run of the season, a two-run shot that cut the lead to 4-3.

The Hoos answered right back in the bottom half with yet another two-out home run to extend their lead to 5-3, but Cal first baseman Daniel Murillo had a retaliation of his own in store cranking a 423-foot solo home run to left field in the top of the sixth to bring it back to a one-run game. It was Murillo’s 11th home run of the season and second hit of the day as he finished the day 2-for-4.

Cal needed three pitchers to get out of the inning after Jordy Lopez and Ryan Spalliero got the first two outs of the frame, Virginia loaded the bases and once again threatened to extend its lead with two outs. In came senior Cole Clark, the hero from Friday’s win who had a three-inning scoreless save. In a 2-2 count Clark induced a ground ball that looked like it would leak into the outfield, but freshman second baseman Brady Errecart made the play of his young career catching up to the ball in the grass and popping up to make the inning-ending throw to first. Clark (3-3) would pick up the win in his 0.1 innings of work.

In the top of the seventh, the Hoos called upon D1Baseball’s fourth-ranked reliever in the nation, Lucas Hartman, who the Bears taxed for two runs on Friday. Once again Cal managed to get to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year semifinalist loading the bases with two outs. In just his third game back from injury, freshman shortstop Jett Kenady stepped in and took the second pitch he saw deep to left field for the first grand slam of the year. His 10th long ball of the season gave the Bears their first lead of the day at 8-5.

The Cavaliers refused to go quietly and kept the slugfest going in the bottom half hitting their fifth home run of the game to cut the lead to 8-7, but freshman Trent Roach came on for the final two innings and sent the Cavaliers down in order to earn his first career save.

Cal now returns home for its final series of the regular season when rival Stanford comes across the Bay for a three-game slate that begins Thursday at 7 p.m. PT at Stu Gordon Stadium.