Big Inning Lifts Bears Past No. 24 Utah

BERKELEY – Tianna Bell and Makena Smith both homered as the California softball team used a four-run fifth inning to rally past No. 24 Utah 5-1 and even the series at Levine-Fricke Field on Saturday afternoon.   

The Golden Bears (23-9-1, 5-5-1 Pac-12) got two hits apiece from Tatum Anzaldo and Kennedy Thomas. Sophie Jacquez had two hits to lead the Utes (22-6, 6-2 Pac-12), who came into the day in first place in the conference.

Utah took the early lead for the second day in a row, scoring the first run on a bases-loaded hit by pitch in the second. But Cal starter Haylei Archer used a groundout back to herself to end the inning and leave the bases full of Utes.     

Bell got the run back for the Bears in the fourth, tying the game with her fifth long ball of the season on a deep shot to the parking lot in right center. Cal's offense had struggled to put together a big inning to that point in the series, but it did just that in the fifth frame.

Utah got the first two batters of the inning in order before Smith fought off several pitches and crushed her 11th homer of the year to put the Bears in front and start a two-out rally. Four straight walks pushed Cal's third run of the game across and Thomas came through with a two-run single to make it 5-1.

Cal's combination of Archer, Anna Reimers and Annabel Teperson in the circle limited Utah to just five hits combined as Teperson earned her seventh win. The Novato, California, native came on in the fifth with the game tied and went 3.0 innings while scattering three hits.  

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Cal and Utah meet for the rubber match of the series on Sunday with first pitch scheduled for noon from Levine-Fricke Field.       

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