SAN DIEGO, Calif. – Five shutout innings from sophomore Jared Horn gave the Cal baseball team a chance to walk away from its season opener with a win and a patient approach at the plate late in the game made that opportunity count as the Golden Bears scrapped for a 6-1 victory over host San Diego to get the 2018 season started on a positive note.
 
Locked in an early pitcher's duel with San Diego starter Paul Richan, Horn showed the ability to battle that has established him as Cal's Friday night starter. His final test of the evening came in the fifth inning when, with only one out and Toreros on second and third, the right-hander buckled down for the two biggest outs of his evening as a pair of strikeouts got the Bears out of the jam unscathed.
 
With fellow Napa, Calif. native Aaron Shortridge warming in the bullpen to pitch the sixth, Horn's teammates made sure he'd leave the game with the lead. Tyrus Greene got Cal (1-0) started with a single to right, and Cameron Eden moved Greene up 90 feet by reaching on an error to bring 2017 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year Andrew Vaughn to the plate with one out. Vaughn was the right man for the job, sending a line drive back up the middle to bring Greene in and give the Bears the lead.
 
After Shortridge tossed a scoreless sixth inning to keep momentum in the Bears' corner, Cal's patience at the plate helped create separation on the scoreboard. A five-run eighth inning came courtesy of one hit batsman, five walks and singles by Greene and Korey Lee to give the Bears a 6-0 lead with six outs to get.
 
Shortridge took control from there, finishing up a win for Horn and earning his first career save in the process with a four-inning stint that saw him allow just one run on four hits. Horn's final line of five innings pitched, four hits, no runs, two walks and six strikeouts helped him earn victory No. 1 in his first start after an offseason shaped by family tragedy.
 
"What happened this offseason is going to be with me but it felt good to go out there and compete again with my teammates," Horn said. "I'm just happy that I put my team in a position to win and we got the W."
 
"It was a big testament to him and what he has done," Cal head coach Mike Neu said. "He has, in some ways, evolved as a pitcher today. He threw some huge changeups and that has not been a pitch for him before. He threw his breaking ball for strikes but used it less and threw a two-seamer that was super effective. His progression is a big testament to what he's done and his competitiveness is off the charts. For him to do what he did, I think it's a huge step in the right direction for his development.
 
Greene served as Cal's offensive catalyst from the leadoff spot, reaching base five times while going 3 for 3 with two runs, a walk and a hit by pitch. Max Flower added two hits and an RBI and Cal collected eight hits as a team.
 
Cal returns to action on Saturday at 1 p.m. when it faces the Toreros again in the first of two games on the day. The Bears conclude their trip to San Diego with a 6 p.m. matchup against Cincinnati. Cal's next games come in the friendly confines of Evans Diamond as the Bears begin a four-game series against Cal State Bakersfield on Friday at 7:05 p.m.