BERKELEY – The California baseball team took both halves of Saturday's split doubleheader at Stu Gordon Stadium, winning the opener 4-2 over UConn before defeating Cal Poly 7-3 in the nightcap. The win over the Mustangs saw the Bears improve to 6-1, their best start since the 2011 season.
 
Game 1 vs UCONN
For the first three innings, UConn (3-3) and Cal traded zeros. Paulshawn Pasqualotto took the ball for the Bears and threw two strong innings, scattering a hit and a walk while striking out three. Huskies' starter Jack Sullivan (1-1) matched Pasqualotto early, holding the Bears to two hits through three innings.
 
In the bottom of the fourth, Cal struck first. Tucker Bougie walked to begin the rally, he moved to third on the one-out single down the right field line by Kade Kretzschmar. Kretzschmar stole second to put two runners in scoring position for freshman Cade Campbell who missed a three-run home run when the ball curved just foul. Two pitches later Campbell collected his first collegiate hit with a single to shallow center field that scored both Kretzschmar and Bougie.
 
The Bears doubled up on the Huskies in the bottom of the fifth when Rodney Green Jr. smashed a two-run blast to dead center field for his second home run of the season and eighth of his career.
 
Connor Sullivan (1-0), who entered the game in the top of the third, got a shutdown inning in the fourth and fifth inning before allowing two runs on four hits in the sixth. A ground ball to short and a double to right center scored the Huskies' two runs, Sullivan ended the threat by getting a punchout for his third and final strikeout.  
 
A trio of Bear relievers, Daniel Colwell, Joe Williams, and Chris Stamos combined to throw three scoreless innings. Stamos was credited with the save coming in to get the final out in the top of the ninth, it was his first of the year.
 
Game 2 vs Cal Poly
Tucker Bougie (1-0) got the start for the Bears in game two and dominated the Mustangs. Making his second start of the season, he needed just 90 pitches to seven complete, while scattering three hits, and one walk. He also struck out six. The six strikeouts and seven shutout innings are all career-bests for the sophomore.
 
In the second, Peyton Schulze led off the inning with a standup double to left center. One batter later, Jack Johnston sat on a breaking ball and smashed it over the left-field wall for his first career home run.
 
The third inning saw Luca Bove rob the Mustangs of a potential go-ahead three-run home run. Bove tracked the ball down into deep left center and climbed the wall for the catch to keep the Mustangs from taking the lead.
 
Cal added on scoring three in the fifth and two in the sixth to break it open. A three-run home run by Carson Crawford did the damage in the fifth and chased Cal Poly's starter Ryan Baum (1-1) from the game.
 
Cal Poly scored two in the eighth on a two-run home run from Ryan Stafford. The Mustangs scored their final run of the night on a solo home run in the ninth by left fielder Collin Villegas.  
 
UP NEXT
The Bears look to make it five in a row and finish the Cal Baseball Classic undefeated when they conclude the three-day tournament taking on UConn in the finale tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at CalBears.com.
 
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