Bears Clinch Series
MORAGA, Calif. – Three California relievers tossed eight combined shutout innings and the Golden Bears rallied to clinch the weekend series with a 4-2 win over Saint Mary's at Louis Guisto Field on Saturday afternoon.
Josh White led the Cal bullpen with 6.2 scoreless innings of work, giving the Bears time to respond from an early 2-0 deficit with four runs across the seventh and eighth frames. The win was Cal's (7-4) third of the series and fourth straight overall. Joe Ammirato stranded an inherited baserunner by retiring his lone batter faced in the eighth and Steven Zobac slammed the door for the second consecutive day in the ninth, earning his second save of the year.
After Saint Mary's (5-6) tagged Cal starter Sean Sullivan for two runs in the opening frame, White came on in relief in the second and kept the Bears within striking distance. The sophomore right-hander struck out a career-high nine batters while scattering three hits and two walks.
The Bears went six innings without recording a hit, but Quentin Selma came up with the biggest swing of the contest in the seventh when he delivered a game-tying two-run home run off of Gaels starter Sam Bower. The long ball came one at bat after Dylan Beavers sparked the rally with a leadoff single.
In the eighth, Hance Smith got into scoring position quickly with another leadoff single and stolen base before scoring the eventual game-winning run on a sacrifice fly by Beavers. Cal added an insurance run in the same inning when Zobac was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, plating Darren Baker.
With a two-run lead in hand heading into the home half of the eighth, the trio of White, Ammirato an Zobac finished off the Gaels with two hitless innings. Cal's staff held Saint Mary's to just one hit over the final five frames.
NOTABLES
- Josh White owns a 22-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 15.1 innings pitched this season. He owns a 0.59 ERA.
- Quentin Selma's home run was his second of the series. He went 2-for-3 Saturday to tally Cal's only multi-hit performance.
- By scoring on the bases-loaded HBP, Darren Baker crossed the plate for the 14th time this season. He's scored in nine of Cal's 11 games.
- Baker (11 games), Dylan Beavers (11) and Selma (10) are riding double-digit reached-base streaks. Beavers owns a four-game hit streak.
- Cal's pitching staff has allowed three runs or less in seven of 11 games this season, including four in a row.
UP NEXT
Cal will take aim at a series sweep when the Bears and Gaels meet for the final time at 1 p.m. PT Sunday at Louis Guisto Field in Moraga.
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