ATHENS, Ga.  – For the second time of the weekend, California's match-up with Northwestern proved to be a gritty, tightly-wound battle with a one-run differential nearly the entire ride through.
 
Unfortunately, for the second time of the weekend, the Golden Bears were on the wrong side of the scale, as they fell to the Wildcats 4-3 on Saturday in dramatic fashion to end the season in the elimination bracket of the NCAA Regional in Athens, Ga.
 
After overcoming a one-run deficit in the top of sixth to jump ahead 3-1, Cal's largest lead against NU this weekend, the Bears (35-21, 7-16 Pac-12) could not hold off the Wildcats (38-18) in the bottom of the seventh giving up two hits, including the game tying two RBI double to bring things to 3-3.
 
Cal recovered with a ground out, one out shy of extended play, but intentionally walked a pair of batters to load the bases, and followed with an untimely wild pitch allowing NU's Rachel Lewis to come home for the go-ahead run.
 
The Bears gave up an early run in the bottom of the second on a passed ball and could did not recover until the top of sixth, when freshman Mikayla Coelho got things going drawing a walk to lead off the frame. Following, Kobie Pettis reached on a fielder's choice, but Coelho reached second base safely to give the Bears a pair of runners with no outs.
 
Lauren Espalin grounded out for the RBI that got Coelho home and freshman Karlee Sparacino followed with an RBI single to give the Bears a 2-1 run and some late momentum that continued into the top of the seventh.
 
Junior Lindsay Rood tacked on an insurance run, rounding the bases on a triple and continuing on a fielding error. Disappointingly, the Bears could not hold on to that lead even as Zoe Conley led off the final frame with a demonstrative strikeout.
 
"Our team really battled tonight," said head coach Diane Ninemire. "I thought we had it there, when we went ahead 3-1, especially with [Lindsay Rood's] – I don't know if you want to call it a triple or a home run, but she runslike a deer – she really put us in a great position to win tonight, and I thought Zoe [Conley] pitched a great game. It was unfortunate we fell short."
 
Conley, who finished the season with a 16-14 win-loss record, recorded five strikeouts, three walks, seven hits in a complete game effort.
 
Cal fell to NU in Friday's regional opener 3-2 in eight-innings, to mark at least three consecutive one-run margins for the Bears-Wildcats contests.

Despite a season pitted against some of the best teams in the nation, Cal produced several highlights including closing with a pair of NFCA All-Pacific-Region nods for Rood and Conley and All-Pac-12 selections for Rood, Jackson, and Bradie Fillmore.
 
Conley also led the conference with seven saves through the regular season, which is a single-season program record for the Bears. Rood also led the conference with 31 stolen bases and seven triples. Newcomer Kamalani Dung pitched a perfect game in just outside of her hometown in Honolulu, Hawai'i, while Ninemire celebrated her 30th season earning her 1,300th win, also in Honolulu, and adding another winning slate to the ledger.
 
The Bears say goodbye to seniors and official Cal alums Pettis, Jackson, Taurie Pogue and Kristin Cullen.
  
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Cal 10, Harvard 1
When Ninemire explained Cal's brief history with Harvard, the Bears did not need any more motivation.
 
Before Saturday, the cross-country, academic powerhouses had met on the softball field on just four occasions with the Bears pocketing the lot of W's. But, remaining undefeated in the series was not Cal's lone impetus – it was also locked in on the five-inning, 8-0 victory in its last outing with Harvard in 2005.
 
Wanting to get enough rest before the potential second game of the elimination bracket, Cal produced a 10-1, five-inning game over Harvard to keep not only the historical streak alive, but regional play going.
 
Despite allowing one run, the Bears rattled off five consecutive two-run frames they needed to get the early finish over the Crimson (23-18), who fell to Georgia 6-2 on Friday in Game 2 of the regional opener.
 
Cal's bats talked from the opening frame, highlighted by a two-run shot through right center by freshman Mikayla Coelho to continue her perfect record in regional play. She finished the game with two runs, and also collected a hit, two RBI and was walked twice.
 
Catcher Marcella Kay brought in a game-high three runs as seven different Bears crossed the plate on Saturday's game which started more than an hour after originally scheduled due to rain and lightning delays.
 
Scoring continued steadily for Cal with Lauren Espalin, Jordan Fines, Lindsay Rood, Kobie Pettis and Jazmyn Jackson bringing in runs to contribute to the effort. However, it was Jackson's first hit, a 3-2, two-RBI single in the top of the fifth, that lifted the Bears to a nine-run lead and provided the final margin.
 
A stellar performance by Kamalani Dung in the circle balanced the offensive effort as she retired nine batters at the plate, giving up just two hits and a walk in 5.0 innings.
 
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