BERKELEY: In a back and forth game with a lot of hitting and scoring, Duke defeated Cal, 12-7, Sunday at Evans Diamond. The Golden Bears (1-2) had 2-0 lead at one point, trailed 6-2, and had a 7-6 advantage before yielding five runs in the eighth inning on the way to the final 12-7 margin.

Cal finished its opening series 1-2, losing to the Blue Devils, 7-1, on Friday, but rebounding to win 3-2 over Duke on Saturday behind 12 strikeouts from junior right-hander Ryan Mason and six strikeouts from senior right-hander Dylan Nelson.

A highlight for the Bears Sunday was junior John Soteropulos hitting a two-out, pinch-hit two-run homer in the sixth inning to get Cal within 6-5. The Bears ending up tying the game in the sixth on junior outfielder Devin Pearson's RBI single, and then took a 7-6 lead in the seventh inning on sophomore second baseman Robbie Tenerowicz's RBI single.

But, Cal wasn't able to hold the lead, giving up its second, five-run inning of the game in the eighth inning. A bad-hop two-run single by the Blue Devils' Chris Perez that hit the face of Tenerowicz on a potential double play ball was a key play for Duke in the inning.

The losing pitcher for the Bears was senior left-hander Chris Muse-Fisher (2.0 innings, three hits, three runs, no walks, two strikeouts), while the Blue Devils' winning pitcher was reliever Nick Hendrix (1.1 innings, three hits, one run, one strikeout).

Cal's starting pitcher, sophomore right-hander Alex Schick, got a no decision, but threw 3.0 innings with three hits, four runs, two walks and a career-high six strikeouts. Top hitters for the Bears were Aaron Knapp, Pearson, Lucas Erceg, Chris Paul and Tenerowicz with two hits apiece.

The Bears will next travel to Stanford in a non-conference game, Monday, Feb. 16 at 1 p.m. at Sunken Diamond. The contest will be televised on the Pac-12 Networks.