STANFORD, Calif. - With five weeks left in the regular season, the Cal baseball team knows it has plenty left to do if it wants to be in the conversation when the postseason rolls around.
 
But, on a cold night in front of a hostile rival crowd, the Bears began to lay the groundwork for what lies ahead as Tanner Dodson's RBI single in the seventh inning gave Cal a lead it would never give back in a 4-3 victory over No. 2-ranked Stanford at Sunken Diamond.
 
Facing perhaps the most accomplished team it has so far this season, Cal (24-15, 10-9 Pac-12) certainly didn't shrink from a challenge as senior Matt Ladrech toed the slab and delivered a start that will rank among his most memorable as a Golden Bear.
 
A three-run Stanford rally in the fifth inning on a trio of unearned runs put the Cardinal ahead but Ladrech got through the frame, pitched Cal through the sixth and departed having allowed no earned runs in six innings of work.

"It was definitely one of my favorites so far," Ladrech said. "There's a lot of emotion in the game with everything going on and I had a blast out there. Everyone played really well and we got a great win."
 
Before Ladrech came out, his teammates made sure to put him in line for the victory. A leadoff walk by Tyrus Greene to start the sixth inning set the stage for a familiar swing of the bat from a familiar face as Andrew Vaughn launched a 1-0 offering over the left field fence to put Cal within one.

Four pitches later, Jonah Davis blasted an opposite-field home run of his own, tying the score at 3 and sparking a big celebration as the Bears pulled even.
 
One inning later, Cal took its first lead of the game and it was Dodson who delivered the decisive blow. Batting right-handed against Stanford lefty Jacob Palisch, Dodson lined the first pitch he saw into left field to bring Max Flower in from second and give Cal the 4-3 advantage.
 
"We're all trying to get that big hit," Dodson said. "I think everyone wants to get it and we're all capable of it. It was my situation tonight and my turn. Other guys have had their turn and tonight I stepped up I guess."
 
Dodson wasn't done with the theatrics as he took the mound in the eighth in search of his 10^th save. The only base runner he allowed came on a strikeout/wild pitch and a 5-4-3 double play brought the game to an end. By recording his 10^th save of the season, Dodson moves into a tie for first with Jesse Ingram and Trevor Hildenberger on Cal's single-season saves list.
 
Vaughn also continued to make his way up the Cal record lists with his 19^th home run of the season pushing him into a tie for fourth on Cal's single-season list (Xavier Nady, David Cooper). Vaughn finished the evening 2 for 4. Davis' home run is his 10^th on the year and Cal's left fielder finished the night 1 for 4.
 
"We have played well at times but we've also put ourselves in a hole with a couple losses in games we feel like we had a chance to win and should've won to give us a better chance for the postseason," Cal head coach Mike Neu said. "So, it magnifies these games a little bit. Every game is important but we are playing for our lives a little bit in the second half. A win like this, and if we could win a series like this, would be a huge boost for us moving into the back end of the Pac-12 season."
 
Cal and Stanford renew acquaintances on Friday when they meet again at 7:05 p.m. at Sunken Diamond. The series finale is also set for 7:05 p.m. on Saturday and both games will be broadcast live by Pac-12 Network. Cal returns to Evans Diamond on Tuesday to host BYU in the final mid-week game of the season for the Bears. First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m.