May 20, 2011

Box Score

LOS ANGELES, CALIF - Powered by outstanding pitching from junior right-hander Erik Johnson and a clutch three-run pinch-hit double from freshman Andrew Knapp in the eighth inning, the No. 25-ranked Cal baseball shut out No. 17 UCLA, 4-0 Friday night (May 20) at Jackie Robinson Stadium. With the win, Cal improved to 30-16 overall and 13-9 in the Pac-10. UCLA fell to 29-20 and 14-8 in league play.

Johnson was stellar, throwing 7.0 innings of shutout ball with two hits, four walks and seven strikeouts to improve his record to 6-2 and record his fifth shutout. Freshman left-hander Kyle Porter was also sharp, throwing the final 2.0 innings with one hit, no walks and three strikeouts.

Cal scored the first run of the game in the first inning when senior left fielder Austin Booker led off the game with a walk off Bruin starter Gerrit Cole (5-7, 7.0 innings, six hits, one run, one walk, six strikeouts), advanced to second on junior shortstop Marcus Semien's sacrifice bunt, and then scored on sophomore second baseman Tony Renda's RBI single up the middle.

The score remained 1-0 for Cal until the eighth inning when Knapp unloaded his two-out bases loaded three-run double of UCLA reliever Mitchell Beacom to give the Bears a cushion.

Cal outhit the Bruins, 8-3, with Renda and junior catcher Chadd Krist, who had led-off the eighth inning with a single, tallying two hits apiece.

The Bears next play the second game of the three-game Pac-10 series at UCLA, May 21 at 2 p.m. at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Cal will conclude the regular season May 24 at Pacific and then host Bay Area rival Stanford for the last Pac-10 series of the year at Evans Diamond. Due to the Cardinal's schedule of finals, the Big Series will be a 2:30 p.m. start on Friday, May 27, and then a noon doubleheader on Saturday, May 28.