Sweep In Seattle

SEATTLE – Nathan Martorella broke an eighth-inning tie with a two-run single, Dylan Beavers homered again and California's pitching staff was dominant for the third straight day as the Golden Bears swept Washington with a 3-2 win Sunday at Husky Ballpark.
 
With the win Sunday, Cal (22-19, 9-9 Pac-12) earned its first series sweep in nearly two years and fought back to .500 in conference play after three consecutive series losses in the month of April. Cal's most recent series sweep came at Utah on May 3-5, 2019.
 
A solo home run by Beavers in the third was the lone run for either squad through the first six innings played. Staff ace Grant Holman needed no further run support as he stifled Washington (17-21, 3-12) through four frames, allowing one hit and three walks while striking out six. Jack Wolger and Reuben Drogin were the first arms out of the bullpen, tossing one scoreless inning apiece in the fifth and sixth.
 
The Huskies tied it at 1-1 in the seventh when Noah Hsue drove in a run with a two-out single against Ian Villers. The run was unearned after a passed ball allowed pinch runner Emilio Corona to advance into scoring position.
 
Little time was needed for Cal to reclaim the lead, however, as Martorella deposited a bases-loaded two-run single into right-center field in the top of the eighth. The single came after Beavers, Quentin Selma and Darren Baker reached base on a double, throwing error and walk, respectively.
 
Washington got one run back in the home half of the eighth before Mitchell Scott shut the door with his second career save in a 1-2-3 ninth.
 
NOTABLES

• Cal moved to 7-1 against Washington under head coach Mike Neu and have won five in a row in the series.
• The sweep was Cal's first since May 3-5, 2019 and its eighth under Mike Neu since the start of the 2018 season.
• Grant Holman made a rare Sunday start on the mound after experiencing arm soreness earlier in the week. The delayed start clearly didn't affect the right-hander, who dropped his ERA to 2.36 with four scoreless innings pitched.
• Twelve Cal pitchers struck out 30 batters and held Washington to two earned runs and a .182 average throughout the three-game series.
• Darren Baker (2-for-3) had his third straight multi-hit game, capping a 7-for-11 weekend (.636) at Washington.
• Cal improved to 19-3 when scoring first.
• Dylan Beavers' home run was his second in as many days and 12th of the season, which leads the Pac-12.
• After going 13 games without an RBI, Nathan Martorella plated six runs this weekend, including a pivotal pair Sunday.

 
UP NEXT
Cal returns to the Bay for a four-game week at Evans Diamond. The action starts Tuesday against San José State at 3 p.m. PDT.
 
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