BERKELEY – After weathering a lengthy rain delay and scoring a run in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead, the Cal baseball team couldn't hold off a late charge by Oregon State as the No. 1-ranked Beavers scored eight times in the final three innings and the Bears fell 10-4 at Evans Diamond.
 
A back and forth battle that featured strong starting pitching by both teams had to hit pause in the middle of the sixth inning when rain, which had fallen steadily throughout the game, intensified to the point of causing a delay.
 
After an hour and 38 minute break, Cal (12-6, 0-2 Pac-12) took the lead right away. A bases loaded walk to Jonah Davis forced in a run with two outs in the bottom of the sixth and gave Cal the 3-2 advantage heading to the late innings.
 
Oregon State (17-1, 2-0) came right back in the top of the seventh, scoring on a two-run home run by Adley Rutschman that gave the Beavers a 4-3 lead. That margin grew in the eighth as Oregon State scored four more runs in an inning keyed by a two-run homer by Cadyn Grenier. Cal got a run back in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Korey Lee but couldn't cut into the deficit any further.
 
The final result masked another standout pitching performance by Cal starter Aaron Shortridge. The junior from Napa, Calif. pitched six innings and allowed just two runs, scattering eight hits and walking two while striking out three. Shortridge took a no-decision as the Cal bullpen yielded eight runs in three innings of work.
 
Offensively, Vaughn belted home run No. 11 on the season with a solo shot in the first inning and added a double in the eighth to finish the day 2 for 4. Cal recorded nine hits as a team.
 
The Bears and Beavers return to Evans Diamond on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 to conclude their three-game series. Cal hits the road next weekend for a three-game series at Oregon that begins on Friday.