LUBBOCK, Texas – A grand slam in the fifth inning put No. 11 Texas Tech in front and the Cal baseball team couldn't close the gap over the final four innings as the Bears dropped an 11-2 decision in the final game of a four-game series at Rip Griffin Park.
 
Cal (2-5) made the first mark on the scoreboard Sunday, getting off to a good start on getaway day in West Texas. Sophomore Tanner Dodson gave the Bears exactly what they'd been searching for through the first three games of the series, delivering a clutch, two-out RBI single up the middle to score Jonah Davis and put Cal ahead 1-0 after half an inning.
 
An RBI triple by Michael Davis evened the score for Texas Tech (8-1) in the bottom of the first and the junior put the Red Raiders ahead in the third with a run-scoring double. Cal countered in the top of the fourth though, as a Dodson double and single by Vaughn put runners on second and third and Jeffrey Mitchell, Jr. made it count, deflecting a chopper up the middle off two Red Raider gloves for an RBI infield single.
 
A chance to add on went by the wayside though as an inning-ending double play squashed a bases-loaded, one-out situation for the Bears. One inning later, Texas Tech turned a similar situation into big results as two walks and a double loaded the bases and Hunter Hargrove cleared them with a grand slam over the left field fence to make it 6-2 Red Raiders. Hargrove added an RBI triple in a four-run seventh as Texas Tech widened its lead.
 
Cal freshman Rogelio Reyes got the start Sunday and worked into the fifth inning, allowing four runs on four hits with three walks and four strikeouts. The Bears collected six hits on the day, led by a 2-for-3 day from Dodson.

"Obviously a tough weekend," Cal head coach David Esquer said. "We didn't get any of the results that we had hoped but we've got a lineup out there with four freshmen on the infield and maybe 10 career starts in the outfield. We've got to get better. We've just got to keep gaining experience and getting guys who can help us play at this level. This is a game we trained for, playing a top-10 team in the country and being able to play at that level. We're not there yet but we'll get there."
 
Cal returns to action on Friday when it welcomes Gonzaga to Evans Diamond for the first of four games. First pitch for the series opener is set for 7:05 p.m. The Bears and Bulldogs will play a pair on Saturday with first pitch for the first game scheduled for 2:05 p.m. and the second game set to begin at approximately 6:05. Sunday's series finale will begin at 1:05 p.m.