BERKELEY –  Andrew Vaughn's continuing climb up the Cal baseball career charts is something to monitor, as is his team's quest for an NCAA postseason berth.

The first baseman drilled a two-run homer in the eighth inning Sunday against Stanford, but the Bears couldn't muster any more offense in a 5-2 loss before a sun-splashed Mother's Day crowd at Evans Diamond.

Cal (29-17, 14-10 Pac-12) came away with one victory in the three-game series, and though that hardly was the goal entering the weekend, claiming even one 'W' against the third-ranked Cardinal was important as the Bears look to bolster their resume for a potential berth to the NCAA Regionals.

An 18-2 rout of Stanford on Saturday marked the biggest margin of victory for either team in the Cal-Stanford rivalry since at least 1959, according to the Pac-12.
Those 18 runs were the most scored on a Stanford team since 2012, when Florida State hung 18 on the Cardinal in a Super Regional game.

Cal didn't have the same firepower Sunday, totaling just six hits off Erik Miller and three Stanford relievers. But the Bears now have four wins they can boast of this  season over teams ranked in the top 10 at the time they played them.  The others came against No. 10 LSU, No. 7 Oregon State and No. 1 UCLA, each of those coming on the road.

Cal head coach Mike Neu said his team just didn't make enough plays to come away with a series victory this weekend.

"We haven't quite gotten over that hump," Neu said. "But we know we're capable of playing with these top-tier teams."

Vaughn went to the opposite field in right for his 14^th homer that pulled the Bears to within 4-2 of Stanford (37-9, 19-5). It was career homer No. 49 for the returning All-American, and it leaves him one homer behind Troy Penix for second place on Cal's all-time homer list.

Vaughn trails record holder Xavier Nady by eight home runs with six regular-season games left, plus potential postseason contests. Also this weekend, he took over fourth place in career RBI at Cal with a current total of 160.

Sam Stoutenborough (7-4) started for Cal on Sunday and went 6 1/3 innings, allowing four runs (three earned).

The Bears are tied with Arizona State for fourth place in the Pac-12 at 14-10, and the Sun Devils arrive next weekend for a three-game set beginning Friday night, Cal's final home games of the season.

The Bears are currently 37^th in the latest RPI  rankings, seemingly putting them in strong consideration for a bid to the 64-team NCAA Regional field. But they're looking to finish strong against ASU and then on the road at Washington (27-19, 12-12) to strengthen their case.