BERKELEY –
Nathan Martorella and
Dylan Beavers homered in the first and ninth innings, but California did little in between offensively and dropped a series-deciding 6-3 contest to No. 13 UCLA on Sunday afternoon.
Â
With a record crowd of 1,791 on hand at Stu Gordon Stadium for the rubber-match battle, the Golden Bears could not find the same offensive rhythm that resulted in 22 total hits across the first two games of the weekend series. Cal (19-20, 10-11 Pac-12) came up just four hits Sunday – two apiece by Martorella and Beavers – and were hitless in the fourth through eighth innings while striking out 13 times.
Â
Martorella (2-for-5) led off the home half of the first inning with his third home run of the series, a blast that ricocheted off the Edwards Stadium grandstand past right field, and gave Cal a 1-0 lead. UCLA knotted it up in the following half frame with a solo shot of its own by Michael Curialle against Cal starter
Sam Stoutenborough.
Â
Two defensive errors in the third allowed the Bruins (27-12, 11-7) to score a pair of unearned runs and take a 3-1 advantage. Stoutenborough (2-2) exited the contest with a 4-1 deficit, two at bats after allowing a second solo home run to UCLA in the fourth.
Tucker Bougie was Cal's first of five relievers used and worked two scoreless innings. UCLA extended its lead with a pair of runs in the seventh on a fielder's choice play and a double to left field after
Christian Becerra walked the bases loaded.
Â
Beavers made it a three-run deficit in the ninth when he plated Martorella and himself with a blast to right field. The home run was Beavers' 14th of the season, which leads the Pac-12, and the 33rd of his career, which moved him past Cal Hall of Famer Lance Blankenship for sole possession of seventh place on the program's all-time home runs list.
Â
Martorella finished the weekend with a slash line of .538/.500/1.231 and hit three of Cal's nine home runs in the series.
Â
The weekend series between Cal and UCLA saw 4,745 total in attendance across the three games.
Â
UP NEXT
Cal's five-game homestand concludes Tuesday against Pacific. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. PT at Stu Gordon Stadium.
Â
STAY POSTED
For coverage of Cal baseball, please follow the Bears on Twitter (
@CalBaseball), Instagram (
@CalBaseball) and Facebook (
/CalBaseball/).
Â