BERKELEY – So locked in is
Jared Horn right now, even the elements can't knock him off course.
Rain started falling in sheets in the top of the seventh Sunday at Evans Diamond, leading to a 31-minute delay between Cal and Arizona State.
No biggie.
Horn returned to the mound after the unwelcome hiatus and the Cal right-hander polished off the first complete game of his college career, lifting the Bears to a 3-2 victory that pulled them back even with the Sun Devils for fourth place in the Pac-12.
Horn scattered five hits, walked two and struck out nine, finishing in dramatic fashion the first complete game by a Cal pitcher this season.
Gage Workman had just tripled with two outs, putting the winning run 90 feet away in the top of the ninth. But Horn got the final out by blowing a fastball by Carter Aldrete -- who had homered in the seventh to cut Cal's lead to 3-2 -- and the Bears earned an important split in a rain-interrupted weekend series.
"I think we knew from a talent perspective and his competitive nature that he was capable of this," Cal head coach
Mike Neu said. "But for him to see it be as consistent as it's been in all these big games, it's been amazing. We wouldn't be where we're at right now without him."
The teams were rained out Saturday and were scheduled to play a doubleheader Sunday. But with uncertainty over the forecast the rest of the afternoon and the Sun Devils scheduled for a flight out of the Bay Area early in the evening, the teams agreed to cancel the nightcap.
It was a big win for Cal (30-18, 15-11 Pac-12). With just a three-game series at Washington left in the regular season, the Bears assured themselves of a winning record in conference play. That's important for a team looking to clinch a berth in the NCAA Regionals.
The Bears took a 2-0 lead in the third on RBI singles from
Andrew Vaughn and
Korey Lee. Arizona State (36-15, 15-11) cut that lead in half on Spencer Torkelson's homer in the fourth. But Horn, who beat No. 3 Stanford last weekend to earn Pac-12 Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season, wouldn't buckle.
Just once all afternoon did the Sun Devils put two runners on base at the same time. How good has Horn (6-1) been? He went the distance Sunday, gave up two runs, and his ERA actually rose a tick to 1.82.
Cal pitching coach Matt Flemer said Horn's ability to command his entire repertoire – fastball, changeup and two breaking pitches – is the key for him.
"It's not fastball-fastball when he's behind (in the count) and off-speed when he's ahead," Flemer said. "He throws anything in any count right now, and he's able to get anybody out."
Horn rightfully heaped praise on his defense.
Max Flower robbed Trevor Hauver of a homer with a leaping grab over the wall in right field, right after Torkelson's blast. Left fielder
Connor Mack made a leaping catch at the wall to end the first, and second baseman
Darren Baker made two terrific diving plays.
Asked about his own season, Horn added: "I'm happy, but I really want to keep on getting better as a team, as an individual. But I'm actually really happy with the way the season's gone so far."
Horn's complete game was the first for Cal since
Aaron Shortridge shut out Arizona State on the road to close out last season.
Sunday's victory also was noteworthy for Neu. He became just the third coach in Cal history to reach the 30-win mark in back-to-back seasons, joining Bob Milano and David Esquer. The Bears also will post a winning Pac-12 record for the second year in a row.
