BERKELEY – A game marked by steady defense, came down to a pair of pitches.
 
After going scoreless in the first five innings with visiting UC Davis, No. 23 California's Jazmyn Jackson capitalized on a wild pitch to score the lone run of the game in the bottom of the sixth to give the Bears the 1-0 edge they needed to remain undefeated.
 
The Aggies (3-3) defense gave little room for the Bears' to make much happen offensively, but Jackson who went 2-for-3 on the day, doubled during the team's final at bat to give Cal (5-0) a bit of late momentum. She found her way to third on a sac bunt from Rood, but tough pitching and defense made a path home uncertain.
 
"Today was tough because we got deep into pitchers counts. In my last at bat, I told myself that there was no way I was going to allow her to throw anything close to the plate and not hit it," said Jackson. "That mindset took over; I got a hit, and Roody's absolutely crucial bunt put me in position to score."
 
Before the wild pitch, freshman Mikayla Coelho nearly struck out, but a dropped foul ball by the Aggies' catcher extended the at-bat. The following pitch went into the dirt and behind the catcher in UCD's lone error of the game, but it was costly.
 
"Today was quite a pitching duel and both teams only had a few hits. We hung in there and got a timely wild pitch that made the difference," head coach Diane Ninemire said. "We did a lot of little things well today and Zoe Conley pitched a great game."
 
Conley collected her third win of the season in a career best performance with 10 strikeouts and continues with a 0.26 ERA through Cal's first five outings.
 
"Zoe was doing her job defensively and I knew we needed to back her up in our offense," said Jackson.
 
Up next, Cal heads on its second road trip to compete in five games at the Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, Calif. The Bears open the Saturday-Monday tournament against Fordham at 10:30 a.m. (PT).  
 
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