CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. – California knows how to keep things interesting, to say the least.
 
For the second weekend in a row, a doubleheader day ended with a dramatic tiebreaker that tested the stamina of both the team and the crowd as the temperature dropped at the Mary Nutter Classic on Saturday.
 
Last weekend in Clearwater, Cal overcame a then 24th-ranked Notre Dame 7-6 in extended play. Unfortunately, this time out, the Bears (7-7) were unable to find late favor as they dropped 6-5 to New Mexico State (9-3), despite a 14-hit outing and the Aggies' five defensive errors.
 
The Bears recovered from a 4-1 deficit with a three spot in the seventh to force the international tiebreaker to go into effect. In the tiebreaker, the last batter that was called out in the previous frame starts off at second base. The offense tries to score that runner and as many runs before it reaches three outs, like in a typical inning. Each team does this to start a new half of the tiebreaker until someone scores the go-ahead.
  
Cal dropped a pop up in the infield during the first round of the tiebreaker, allowing the Aggies to get its fifth run, but the defense responded bringing freshman Makena Smith home to move to what essentially became a scoreless ninth frame.
 
The back-and-forth ended from there, as Cal allowed the go-ahead run on an RBI single and could not string another half of hits together.
 
"I liked the fight that I saw tonight from the team, but we want to come out with that kind of effort from the jump so we're not back on our heels during the game," said head coach Diane Ninemire. "Jordan Fines had the best game of her career tonight and was clutch for us throughout with critical hits."
 
The junior led the Bears with two runs and tied with senior Lindsay Rood for a team-high three hits on a career day. Fines led off in the seventh with a single to build momentum for Cal and begin to frustrate the NMSU defense, which committed three errors in the half. She also scored the first run of the game in the third.
 
The Bears finish the weekend with another doubleheader on Sunday. They open against Long Beach State at 11:30 a.m. (PT) before meeting Fullerton at 2 p.m., in what were a pair of hard-fought wins last season.
 
Cal 0, Kentucky 5
The Bears committed four errors en route to a 5-0 shutout loss to the 16th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats (8-6).
 
Cal kept things close as it held UK to five scoreless frames, but when it rained, it poured as the Wildcats posted a three-run second inning and added two more in the top of the fifth.
 
Zoe Conley (3-3) picked up the loss in a complete effort behind eight hits, five strikeouts, three earned runs and three walks.
 
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