BERKELEY – The ball jumped off Andrew Vaughn's bat in the first inning Friday and soon was sailing over the right field wall, and suddenly all seemed right in the Cal baseball world.

Vaughn's two-run shot in the first got things rolling, and the Bears never let up in a 7-1 victory over Long Beach State to open a three-game nonconference series at Evans Diamond.

Cal went deep four times overall, including two home runs from catcher Korey Lee, and that's a terrific sign for a team that is establishing its offensive identity with the long ball.

The Bears (12-11), whose 28 home runs rank second in the Pac-12, had gone four games in a row without hitting a homer. But they took control early, got standout pitching – including a superb effort in relief from Sam Stoutenborough – and washed out the bad taste from Tuesday's 6-0 loss at Sacramento State.

To hear Lee tell it, so much of the Bears' mojo is fueled by Vaughn, the returning Golden Spikes winner who doubled along with his homer and scored two runs. The first baseman entered Friday with just one hit and seven strikeouts in his previous 13 at-bats.

"Just kind of seeing him succeed, it kind of gets the whole team (fired up)," Lee said. "That's kind of a big thing with our team. If Vaughn gets on, and if Vaughn kind of succeeds and (leadoff hitter) Cam (Eden) succeeds, it carries forward with everyone."

Vaughn's nine homers are second in the Pac-12; he's hitting .372. And though opponents obviously will keep pitching to the All-American very carefully, the man hitting right behind him in the No. 3 spot is giving opposing coaches something to think about.

Lee's two-homer night raised his average to .338. He's got four homers and 15 RBI, second on the team to Vaughn's 26. His first homer in the fourth was an opposite-field shot to right. Then he mashed another solo shot to left-center in the sixth.

From behind the plate, Lee also had the best view in the house of the work turned in by his pitching staff. Starting pitcher Arman Sabouri, settling in as the Bears' Friday night "opener," retired all six batters h faced over two innings.

Then Stoutenborough mowed through Long Beach State's lineup for seven innings of excellent long relief, scattering six hits, striking out four and surrendering just one unearned run to the Dirtbags (3-21). The freshman right-hander is showing the poise of a veteran.

"He comes in with some fire and doesn't really care who you are," Lee said. "He throws strikes, and that's the biggest thing you can ask from a pitcher."

Sophomore third baseman Quentin Selma connected for his first collegiate home run in the seventh, a blast to right that reached the Edwards Stadium bleachers.

Cal and Long Beach State continue their three-game series Saturday with a 3:05 p.m. game.