BERKELEY, Calif. – For the second weekend in a row, the Cal baseball team earned a chance to score a significant home sweep over a Pac-12 opponent and the Bears turned opportunity into results again as early offense set the tone and Matt Ladrech delivered yet another impressive outing on the mound in a 10-2 victory over Arizona State on a beautiful day at Evans Diamond.
 
One week after sweeping Washington State, Cal (15-14, 7-5 Pac-12) woke  up Sunday morning with its sights set on putting the finishing touches on a great weekend. And, the Bears didn't wait long to display their intentions as RBI singles by Denis Karas and Tanner Dodson put Cal ahead 2-0 after one inning.
 
Tyrus Greene added to the Cal lead in the second with an RBI double down the left field line but the Bears really put the game on ice in the fifth, plating four runs to take a 7-0 lead. An RBI walk by Dodson, two-run single by Matt Ruff and sacrifice fly by Max Flower did the damage, giving Cal plenty of room to work with on the scoreboard.
 
Three more runs in the sixth put the game on ice and all three came courtesy of the long ball. Cameron Eden led off the inning with a no-doubt solo shot to left field and Karas followed later in the frame with a mammoth blast of his own, bouncing it off the windows of the Recreational Sports Facility in left field to put Cal ahead 10-1.
 
All the Sunday offense came in support of a third-straight strong start from the Cal pitching staff. On this occasion, it was Ladrech who toed the slab and gave the Bears a chance to take command. Mixing speeds and utilizing pinpoint location throughout, the southpaw allowed just three hits and didn't walk anyone, striking out four and scattering three hits along the way.
 
"During the week, me and Thomas (Eager) and BK (Santy) piece together our little plan batter by batter on how we're going to attack them and once we get that foundation, it's a matter of executing," Ladrech said. "The results usually reflect if you did a good job."
 
Offensive stars weren't hard to find but Karas led the hit parade with a 3 for 4 day that also featured three RBI and three runs scored. Greene and Ruff each had a pair of hits with Greene doubling twice and Ruff driving in two.
 
Cal finished the day with 11 hits which left the Bears with 36 for the weekend. The Bears hit .379 as a team against the Sun Devils, led by six hits apiece from Vaughn and Karas, and hit .556 with runners in scoring position. And, the sweep is Cal's first over Arizona State since 1993.
 
Winners of six of their last seven and last six in conference play, the Bears now turn their attention to another four-game week that includes a Tuesday trip to Moraga for a non-conference game at Saint Mary's. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. and the game will be streamed live by the Gaels. Pac-12 play resumes on Thursday when Cal kicks off a three-game set at Utah.
 
"You're going to get tired of hearing me saying this but it's the learning process of us playing and we're going to have to be good on the road," Cal head coach David Esquer said. "We've proved that we can play at home, it's been easier for us than on the road, but we'll know how we're maturing when we can play some good ballgames and win some games on the road."