BERKELEY – A pair of painful at-bats were well worth the bruises a couple of California players will undoubtedly endure in the upcoming days as they gave the Golden Bears the momentum boost needed to outlast the Utah Utes 5-3 on Friday to open their first league series at home in nearly a month.
 
A sunny day at Levine-Fricke Field was the perfect back drop for an oddly achieved five-run frame the Bears (27-13, 2-10 Pac-12) produced after both teams went four innings without a score.
 
Cal's at-bat opened with fifth-inning lead off Karlee Sparacino being nailed directly in the side on a 1-1 count that almost brought the freshman to her knees as she got a free trip to the bag. That riled up the fans and the Bear's dugout and was followed by a fielder's choice from Cameron Kondo to keep a runner in the field.
 
Two batters later Utah's starting pitcher Miranda Viramontes (5-11), who was credited with the loss, pelted Krysten McCue to load the bases. Marcella Kay singled, to get the Bears' first hit of the game, before McCue's at-bat.
 
Then the scoring frenzy ensued as Jazmyn Jackson was credited with an RBI single after the Utes catcher interrupted the swing as Jackson connected with the ball and Kondo came home for the 1-0 lead.
 
Moments later, Lindsay Rood drew a walk for the RBI to extend the lead and put Cal's fastest duo on the bags which would be costly soon after. Bradie Fillmore RBI singled to bring in McCue and a misplay by the Utes at third base allowed Jackson and Rood to bolt home, with Rood coming all the way from first base.
 
Utah (20-11, 2-11 Pac-12) did not go gently, however, after recording a three-run half of its own in the top of the sixth on a three-run home run, but Zoe Conley squelched any additional momentum as she stepped in for her fifth save of the season in 1.2 innings pitched.
 
Kamalani Dung picked up her 16th win in 5.1 innings of action, tossing seven strikeouts and finishing with three hits, three earned runs and two walks and was sitting on a one-hitter until a surprising sixth inning.
 
"It was a good way to start off a competitive series for us," said head coach Diane Ninemire. "Kama threw a great game and Zoe came in to close things out strongly. It was a very good effort and we were able to put the pressure on their team."
 
The win comes at a critical time for the Bears who haven't won a conference game since March 17 at Oregon State and sat in the bottom spot in the conference standings, just behind the Utes going into Friday. As postseason inches closer a series win is paramount for both teams to keep playoff hopes alive.
 
Play continues Saturday at 1 p.m. (PT) with a live stream available on Pac12.com and live stats on CalBears.com.
 
For more information on Cal softball, follow the team @CalSB on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.