TEMPE, Ariz. – The Cal baseball team received a stellar group effort on the mound Friday but fell 4-3 to Cal State University Bakersfield in its first game of the 2019 season.

Four Cal pitchers combined to limit the Roadrunners to five hits while ringing up eight strikeouts and not allowing a single walk. Offensively, the Bears couldn't take full advantage of their opportunities, however, stranding nine baserunners on the opening day of play in the Angels College Classic.

Cal plays Pepperdine at 5 p.m. (PT) Saturday at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix before finishing up the Classic with a game Sunday against Northwestern and another Monday versus BYU.

With little returning experience on the mound  and a stable of  freshmen being counted on to contribute, the pitching that the Bears got from their staff stood out as a bright spot Friday afternoon at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

Junior Arman Sabouri, a left-hander who served as the "opener" for Cal, fired two scoreless innings without allowing a baserunner and striking out three.

The Bears (0-1) claimed an early lead in the second inning as Cameron Eden doubled, stole third and came around to score on Connor Mack's two-out single to left. In the third, Sam Wezniak singled with one out, moved to third on Korey Lee's single and scored on a sacrifice fly from Max Flower.

CSU Bakersfield (1-1) struck for all four of its runs in the fourth and fifth off right-hander Sam Stoutenborough, commanding a 4-3 lead that it wouldn't relinquish.

Freshman designated hitter Grant Holman delivered the Bears' biggest highlight of the day with a monster home run over the wall in left-center in the fourth, his first hit in a collegiate game.

But the pitching was the story for Cal. After Sabouri's impressive two innings, three freshmen followed him on the mound and gave the Bears a chance. Stoutenborough allowed the four runs but also ate up four innings to save the pitching staff from being taxed badly.

Joe Ammirato and Sean Sullivan followed by combining for three innings without allowing a base runner.

Flower, a junior outfielder, enjoyed a fine all-around game, going 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and making a diving catch in center to rob Evan Berkey in the seventh.
Andrew Vaughn, the returning Golden Spikes Award winner who batted leadoff Friday, drew two walks. Wezniak singled and scored a run and Darren Baker had a single.