BERKELEY – Quentin Selma blasted a go-ahead three-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning as California rallied to defeat St. John's, 11-7, on Sunday afternoon at Evans Diamond.
 
The Bears (2-5) scored seven unanswered runs over the seventh and eighth frames and tallied three total home runs, including a pair from freshmen Dylan Beavers and Keshawn Ogans. The win salvaged the series for Cal after St. John's (3-3) took the first two contests on Friday and Saturday.
 
With the game tied 7-7 in the eighth, Selma deposited the three-run long ball over the right-field wall following a nine-pitch battle with Red Storm pitcher Josh LaJoie. The home run also scored Ogans and Darren Baker, who reached base with singles in each of the previous at bats. Selma finished the day 2-for-4 with four RBI. Steven Zobac added an insurance run later in the inning with an RBI single.
 
The rally started the inning prior when Baker led off with a double down the left-field line and then scored on an RBI single by Grant Holman, making it a 7-5 deficit. Cal then tied it, 7-7, when Nathan Martorella scored on a wild pitch and Holman came home on a sacrifice fly by Zobac.
 
Joseph King played a role in the late-inning heroics, tossing two scoreless frames of relief as he earned his first career win on his 19th birthday. He worked around one hit and one walk while striking out three batters before turning it over to Ian Villers, who finished the game off with a scoreless ninth inning.
 
Despite Beavers' home run and an RBI single by Martorella in the third inning, Cal saw its early lead disappear quickly as St. John's plated four runs of its own the following frame. Cal clawed back in the fifth as Ogans' solo home run and another RBI single by Selma made it a 5-4 game, but momentum shifted back to the Red Storm the following inning due to a Cal fielding error that allowed two runs to score.
 
Josh White made his second start on the mound, going 3.2 innings before turning it over to Nick Proctor in the fourth.
 
COACH NEU'S TAKE
"It's great any time you get a win on Sunday, especially for our guys to come through in the clutch like they did," said Cal head coach Mike Neu. "Quentin Selma had a huge home run…and our guys really battled back. We could've easily rolled over right there, but we showed a lot of fight.
 
"Our team learned a lot this series, but it's obviously disappointing that we lost (Friday and Saturday). We're learning a lot about our team over these last couple days as guys have continued to step up in situations."
 
PITCHERS OF RECORD
Win: Joseph King (1-0)
Loss: Josh LaJole (0-1)
 
NOTABLES

• Cal's 11 runs and 15 hits were both season-highs.
• Four Cal pitchers – White, Proctor, King and Villers – combined for 11 strikeouts. The Bears have tallied 10-plus strikeouts in three games so far this season.
• Six Bears had multi-hit performances, including a three-hit effort by Grant Holman (3-for-5).
• Cal had been held without a home run in its first six games of the season.
• Baker and Ogans scored three runs apiece. 

UP NEXT
Cal will host rival Stanford at 6 p.m. (PT) on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at Evans Diamond. The nonconference contest between the familiar foes will be aired live on the Pac-12 Networks.
 
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