TUCSON, Ariz. – California struck early and rolled to a dominant 9-1 win over No. 22 Arizona Sunday afternoon at Hi Corbett Field.
 
Freshman Paulshawn Pasqualotto tossed six shutout innings against the Wildcats' potent offense to earn the victory and Cal homered twice – and nearly added a third in a bizarre third-inning play – to salvage the Pac-12 road series. The Golden Bears (17-13, 5-4 Pac-12) picked up their first win against a ranked foe since defeating then-No. 1 UCLA on April 19, 2019.
 
After cruising through the first two innings, Pasqualotto got his first dose of run support in the third. Steven Zobac led off the frame with a solo home run and four at-bats later, Nathan Manning roped what appeared to be a grand slam to right-center. However, Manning unintentionally passed runner Darren Baker when rounding second base, prompting umpires to call Manning out. Cal settled for a 4-0 lead, and Manning was credited with a three-run single instead of his first career home run.
 
One inning later, the Bears put the game out of reach with five more runs. Keshawn Ogans drove in Zobac with an RBI single to right-center and later scored on a grand slam, smacked by Cal home-run leader Dylan Beavers. The grand slam put Cal in the driver's seat with a 9-0 advantage.
 
It was all Pasqualotto and reliver Nick Proctor from that point on. Pasqualotto (4-3) did not allow an Arizona (21-9, 7-5) hit until the fourth inning and scattered four total hits, all singles, while striking out five Wildcats across his six innings of work. The freshman right-hander allowed just two base runners to reach second base and capped his final two innings of work by inducing a pair of double plays.
 
Proctor allowed a home run to the first batter he faced in the seventh but settled in afterward, retiring eight of the next nine Wildcats to pick up the three-inning save. Cal sealed the win with its third defensive double play of the afternoon in the ninth.
 
NOTABLES

• Paulshawn Pasqualotto and Nick Proctor held Arizona to its lowest-scoring game of the season. Cal pitchers limited Arizona to just 10 total runs in the three-game series, its lowest run total in a series this season. The Wildcats averaged 9.1 runs per game heading into the weekend, ranking fourth nationally.
• Cal's pitching duo issued just three walks. It's the 21st time in 30 games that Cal has allowed three walks or less.
• Pasqualotto's six-inning performance was his longest without allowing a run. He struck out five batters for the fourth time.
• Dylan Beavers' grand slam was his only hit of the series. It was his ninth home run this season, and Cal's second grand slam.
• The Bears drew seven walks, including a career-high three by Cole Elvis.
• Cal's 7-8-9 batters in the lineup scored a combined six runs and reached base eight times. No. 9 batter Keshawn Ogans was 2-for-3.
• Darren Baker extended his reached-base streak to 35 consecutive games with a third-inning walk.
• Cal turned three double plays defensively, pushing its Pac-12-leading total to 26.

 
UP NEXT
Cal readies for an East Bay affair at Saint Mary's on Tuesday afternoon. The non-conference contest will start at 3 p.m. (PDT) in Moraga.
 
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