Bears Bested By No. 8 Huskies

BERKELEY – The No. 20 California softball team fell, 8-3, to No. 8 Washington in the series opener on Friday at Levine-Fricke Field.  

Tianna Bell hit her ninth home run of the season and Acacia Anders recorded an RBI triple for the Golden Bears (30-13, 4-10 Pac-12). Rylee Holtorf went 2-for-3 with a home run for the Huskies (29-7, 11-5 Pac-12).

Bell got the Bears on the board first in the second inning when she crushed a no-doubt, 2-run home run to left off of Washington ace Ruby Meylan. Cal had a chance to do more damage in the frame, but couldn't get the key hit it needed.

Alyssa Herrera singled, Kaylee Pond doubled and Kyndal Todd walked to load the bases with just one out, but Meylan got an infield popup and a strikeout to escape the jam and leave three Bears on the bases.  

Washington had a quick answer in the top of the third, putting four runs on the board off of five hits and an error to make it a 4-2 game.

Anders got Cal within two at 5-3 on her triple off the wall to plate Tatum Anzaldo, but Washington added a run in the fifth and sixth innings and two in the seventh to seal the win.

UP NEXT
Cal and Washington meet for Game 2 of the series on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. from Levine-Fricke Field.     

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