BERKELEY– The Cal baseball team (5-3) saw a four-game winning streak come to end, falling to UC Irvine, 6-2, Sunday at Evans Diamond in the final game of a four-game series versus the Anteaters. The Golden Bears still captured the series – winning 6-1 Friday evening and sweeping a doubleheader over UCI, 10-3 and 4-1, on Saturday. It had been a busy and successful week for Cal, having defeated Stanford, 11-1, last Monday at Sunken Diamond.

The Anteaters scored the first six runs of the game off of Cal freshman left-hander Matt Ladrech (1-1, 4.1 innings, six hits, four runs, one walk, two strikeouts) and sophomore right-hander Alex Schick (3.2 innings, three hits, two runs, one strikeout), including a three-run homer by Keston Hiura off of Schick in the fifth inning.

The Bears were able to make the game competitive in the seventh inning by scoring a pair of runs. Freshman shortstop Preston Grand Pre had a one-out single off of Anteater starter Evan Manarino (1-0, 6.2 innings, eight hits, two runs, three walks, five strikeouts) and then freshman pinch hitter Denis Karas scored Grand Pre with an RBI double to right-center field. Karas later scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore center fielder Aaron Knapp.

Grand Pre and sophomore third baseman/pitcher Lucas Erceg finished with two hits apiece for Cal. Erceg was spectacular at the plate in the UCI series, going 9-for-16 (.563) with a double, two home runs and four RBI. He was 4-for-4 with two home runs in the first game of the doubleheader Saturday.

The Bears will next travel to Fayetteville, Ark. for a four-game series against the Razorbacks, beginning Thursday, March 26 at 1:05 p.m. Central Time. Last season, Cal won a doubleheader over Arkansas, 4-3 and 2-1, March 9, 2014 at Evans Diamond.

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