March 23, 2012

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Box Score

TEMPE, ARIZ. - The Cal baseball team gave up four runs in the first three innings and was unable to recover, losing 5-1 to No. 14-ranked Arizona State Friday night (March 23) at Packard Stadium in Tempe. The Golden Bears, who scored their lone run in the fourth inning on junior left fielder Darrel Matthews' sacrifice fly, dropped to 12-8 overall and 0-4 in the Pac-12 Conference. The Sun Devils, who had a complete game from junior right-hander Brady Rodgers (9.0 innings, eight hits, one run, one walk, six strikeouts), improved to 14-7 and 2-2 in league play.

The losing pitcher for Cal was junior left-hander Justin Jones (2-3), who went 7.0 innings with nine hits, two earned runs, three walks and one strikeout.

ASU scored three unearned runs in the second inning after a couple of errors by Bears' shortstop Derek Campbell led to a run, plus a fielder's choice RBI by Michael Benjamin and RBI single by Andrew Aplin. The Sun Devils added a run in the third inning after Jones walked the first two batters and later gave up an RBI single to James McDonald.

Cal scored its run in the fourth to get within 4-1. Senior catcher Chadd Krist forced a one-out walk off of Rodgers, and after junior third baseman Mitch Delfino and senior center fielder Chad Bunting had back-to-back singles to right field, Krist scored on Matthews' sacrifice fly to right field.

ASU added an insurance run in the fifth inning when Abe Ruiz led off with a home run off of Jones.

Matthews (2-for-3, RBI) and Bunting (2-for-4) each had two hits for the Bears.

Cal will next face the Sun Devils in game two of the three game series, Saturday, March 24 at 6:30 p.m. at Packard Stadium.