May 18, 2012
Box Score
BERKELEY -
The Cal baseball team scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth and barely missed a grand slam in the inning, but still fell to No. 11-ranked UCLA, 7-2, Friday (May 18) in the first game of the three-game Pac-12 series at Evans Diamond. Pinch hitters Jacob Wark and Michael Theofanopoulos, and senior left fielder Danny Oh, led-off the ninth inning with three straight singles and later in the inning junior first baseman Mitch Delfino flew out to the warning track in left center field to just miss a grand slam.
However, the Golden Bears (26-23, 9-16) had yielded all seven runs in the second and third innings to the Bruins (37-13, 16-9) before keeping UCLA off the scoreboard the final six innings. The Bruins were led by the pitching of sophomore right-hander Adam Plutko (8-3, 6.1 innings, six hits, no runs, four walks, three strikeouts) and the hitting of Trevor Brown (3-for-4) and Shane Zeile (2-for-5). Cody Regis had a two-run triple for UCLA as well.
Senior right-hander Matt Flemer suffered the loss for Cal, throwing 7.0 innings with 11 hits, six earned runs, one walk and four strikeouts. Flemer (7-5) has now thrown 7.0 innings or more in 12 of his 14 starts this season. After giving up the seven runs in innings two and three, he threw four shutout innings. Sophomore left-hander Matt Evanoff (1.0 inning, one hit, two strikeouts) and senior right-hander Stephen Pistoresi (1.0 inning, no hits, one strikeout) had one hit and three strikeouts in the last two innings.
Oh, sophomore right fielder Andrew Knapp and senior catcher Chadd Krist each had two hits on the day; and junior Tony Renda had a double in the third inning.
Cal will next host UCLA in the second game of its final Pac-12 home series, Saturday, May 19 at 1 p.m. at Evans Diamond. KNEW 960 AM, part of the IMG Sports Network, and Cal's student radio, KALX 90.7 FM, will be broadcasting the final two contests against the Bruins at Evans Diamond. Sunday, May 20 will be Senior Day, honoring the Bears' seven seniors, including Flemer, Krist and outfielder Chad Bunting, who were key performers for Cal in last year's College World Series run.
