Bruins Drop Pac-12 Tourney Opener to Cal, 4-1

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Josh White tossed seven scoreless innings to lead California to a 4-1 win over No. 18 UCLA on Wednesday night in the first game for both teams at the inaugural Pac-12 Baseball Tournament, held at Scottsdale Stadium.

The game started at 10:18 p.m. PT and ended just before 1:30 a.m. PT. The start time was pushed back due to game three of the tournament, between Washington and Oregon State, running long.

Sophomore third baseman Kyle Karros went 3-3 with a walk to lead the Bruins (35-21), while junior catcher Darius Perry added a pair of singles.

The Bruins used five pitchers in the game, with several putting in notable efforts.

Chief among them was junior left-hander Jake Saum, who retired all seven batters he faced in his first appearance since Apr. 19. He also picked off a runner and struck out a pair.

Junior southpaw Josh Hahn drew his first-career start on Wednesday, and allowed just a couple singles over 1 1/3 innings. Senior lefty Daniel Colwell finished the game off with two scoreless frames.

Cal (29-25) scored in three consecutive innings, starting in the third, to build a 4-0 lead that would prove decisive.

Right fielder Dylan Beavers opened the game's scoring with an inside-the-park home run off the wall in center field in the third inning. Rodney Green Jr. added a solo home run the following frame to drive in the eventual game-winning run, and the Golden Bears added a two-spot in the fifth.

The Bruins weren't without their chances offensively – collecting nine hits and putting another five men on via walk or HBP – but couldn't come up with a big hit. UCLA was 0-4 with runners in scoring position, left the bases loaded twice, and hit into a pair of double plays.

A pair of one-out singles allowed the Bruins to get on the board in the eighth. Karros started it off by pulling a grounder through the left side for his final hit of the night, then moved to third when Daylen Reyes had a grounder deflected by the pitcher for a single. Perry brought in Karros with a medium-deep fly ball to right field.

UCLA returns to action on Thursday, facing Washington in an elimination game. The Bruins and Huskies will square off 45 minutes after the conclusion of tomorrow's opening game between Arizona State and Oregon, which is scheduled for a 9:00 a.m. PT start.