Christian Becerra pitching
Rob Edwards/klcfotos
Christian Becerra threw three scoreless innings in his first start for the Bears.
5
Winner USC USC 9-7-1, 3-1 PAC-12
3
California CAL 8-7, 0-4 PAC-12
Winner
USC USC
9-7-1, 3-1 PAC-12
5
Final
3
California CAL
8-7, 0-4 PAC-12
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
USC USC 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 5 5 0
California CAL 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 4 0

W: Stromsborg, Tyler (1-1) L: Colwell, Daniel (1-2) S: Clarke, Garrett (3)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Cal Athletics

Bears Rally Comes Up Short

USC Takes Game One Of Three Game Series

BERKELEY – A leadoff solo home run in the bottom of the ninth by Rodney Green Jr. provided the Cal baseball team with a spark, but in the end could not overcome a three-run deficit as USC took game one 5-3 on Friday night at Stu Gordon Stadium.
 
USC (9-7-1, 3-1 Pac-12) got a strong start from Tyler Stromborg (1-1) who threw six complete, scattering two hits, and two runs, with three walks, while striking out eight. A three-run homerun by Bryce Grudzielanek in the top of the fifth was the big hit of the night for the Trojans, who finished with five hits on the evening.
 
For the 12th time this season, Cal (8-7, 0-4) scored first. In the bottom of the third inning, Max Handron drew a one-out walk and advanced to third from first on a single down the left field line by Caleb Lomavita, who moved up to second on the throw to third. Rodney Green Jr. knocked in Handron for the game's first run. Carson Crawford hit a deep fly ball to left field that knocked in Lomavita to give the Bears a two-run cushion.
 
Green Jr. finished 2-for-3 with two driven in, his home run in the ninth was his fifth of the season and 11th of his career. Lomavita had the other hit, going 1-for-4 with a run scored. Kade Kretzschmar singled in the bottom of the ninth to extend his reach safely streak to 15 games, he was 1-for-4.
 
Christian Becerra made his first collegiate start on Friday and tossed a gem. He threw a career-high three innings, striking out four, and held USC to a hit and a walk. Daniel Colwell (1-2) took the loss for Cal. He threw 1.2 innings, with four walks, and two strikeouts. His big mistake was a 1-1 fastball to pinch Grudzielanek after walking a pair of Trojans.
 
In the top of the ninth USC added two insurance runs. Ethan Hedges led off with an infield single, he moved to second on a wild pitch and eventually came around to score on a passed ball. Ryan Jackson knocked in the second run with an RBI single to right center. Garrett Clarke picked up his third save of the year
 
UP NEXT
Cal and USC will play a doubleheader on Saturday to get ahead of the rain that is expected to hit the Bay Area on Sunday. Game one of Saturday's twin billing is scheduled for a 2:05 first pitch with game two scheduled to begin at 6 pm or 45 minutes after the completion of game one. Both games will feature live video and will have Jim Darby calling all the action live.
 
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