April 16, 2008

Box Score

Moraga - The No. 21-ranked California Golden Bears rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat St. Mary's, 5-2 in non-league action on Wednesday evening.

Cal, who improved to 35-16, travels to Stanford for a Bay Area showdown on Friday (7:00 p.m.) and Saturday (1:00 p.m.), before returning to Berkeley for a Sunday game at 1:00 p.m. Cal is now a perfect 44-0 vs. the Gaels all-time in the season series. The Bears also defeated SMC twice in Hawaii earlier this season.

Sophomore Marissa Drewrey, who ranks seventh in the nation in victories, added a 23rd triumph in the circle after allowing two runs on eight hits and five strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Sophomore Vernae Sevilla had the hot bat for the Bears, collecting two hits and driving in a pair of runs with a stolen base in the process. Senior Katie Vickers added two hits as well and added an RBI.

After falling in a 2-0 hole to the Gaels in the bottom of the first inning, Cal picked up its offensive production with a three-run fourth inning to take the lead. With one out in the fourth, both Bernice Masaniai and Sanoe Kekahuna reached safely on back-to-back fielding errors by SMC. Vickers then delivered a single to center field to plate Masaniai. After Shannon Houston was inserted as a pinch runner, Sevilla stepped up to the plate a punched a single up the middle to plate both Houston and Kekahuna, giving the Bears a 3-2 lead.

Thanks to another St. Mary's fielding miscue in the top of the sixth frame that allowed Taylor Kelly to reach base safely, Julie Meyer was able to score, before a Valerie Arioto double to right-center field plated Kelly, putting Cal up, 5-2.

St. Mary's (19-20) committed four errors on the day.