Salt Lake City, Utah --  Behind a two-home run day from freshman Brett Cumberland, No. 14 Cal used the long ball to overpower Utah and win the series opener, 14-6. The Golden Bears now improve to 19-6 on the year and 6-1 in Pac-12 play.

Cumberland and sophomore Lucas Erceg combined for five hits, five RBIs and four runs scored. Freshman starting pitcher Jeff Bain threw five solid innings, holding the Utes to two runs on six hits while striking out two. Behind Bain, the Bears turned four double plays on the day.

After a scoreless first inning, the Bears' bats went to work in the top of the second. Junior Mitchell Kranson led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Junior Max Dutto walked to put runners on first and second for junior Nick Halamandaris, who doubled to right center to bring in Kranson and put Cal on the board. With runners on second and third, freshman Preston Grand Pre singled through the left side to bring in two. 

Grand Pre took third after a failed pickoff attempt and scored after sophomore Aaron Knapp hit a sacrifice fly to left field. Ergec added the fifth run of the inning for the Bears with a towering home run down the right field line, his seventh home run of the year. 

The Utes added a run in the fourth inning but the Bears pushed the lead back to five off a Cumberland home run in the fifth inning. 

Utah added another run in the 5th when junior Kody Davis singled through the right side to plate freshman Wade Gulden. The four-run lead got pushed back to five in the sixth inning when Halamandaris homered to right. The Bears added another four runs in the inning and took a commanding 11-2 lead on the Utes. 

Cumberland hit his second home run of the day in the seventh inning to put Cal up by 10. It was the freshman's second time hitting two home runs in a single game. 

Utah added two runs in the bottom of the ninth but it was too little too late for the Utes, who lost 14-6.

Collin Monsour threw five innings of relief for the Bears, giving up four runs on nine hits while striking out three. 

On Deck

The Bears and Utes return for the second game of the series on Saturday at 3 p.m., televised live on Pac-12 Networks.