SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – For the second consecutive night the Cal baseball team had a lead but saw it slip away thanks to a late run by their opponent. Tonight No. 1-seed Stanford came from behind, scoring 16 runs over the final four innings to win 18-10 on Wednesday night at the Pac-12 Baseball Tournament.
 
Cal (24-28) finished the night with 10 hits, including five extra-base hits. Sophomore catcher Caleb Lomavita went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a 3-run home run. The home run was his 16^th of the year and the Golden Bears 85 of the season, one shy of the program record 86 set in 1999. Carson Crawford also collected multiple hits, he went 2-for-5 with two RBI. Nathan Manning went 1-for-5 with two runs driven in.
 
Stanford (38-14) flexed their muscles late, scoring six runs in the sixth, six more in the eighth, and four in the top of the ninth. The Cardinal got home runs from Braden Montgomery and Alberto Rios. Seven Cardinal tallied at least one hit as Stanford finished with 17 on the night. Malcome Moore led all players going 4-for-6 with three runs scored and a run driven in.
 
Once again, Cal scored first and looked like it would pitch its way to a narrow win. The Bears scored two in the first, two in the second, and added a run in the fifth and sixth.
 
Max Handron got the contest started reaching via an error on a pop-up hit in shallow center field. He moved to third on the double to right field by Lomavita. Green Jr. hit a fly ball deep enough to left center to score Handron from third. With two outs, the Bears got the clutch hit they desperately needed the night before when Crawford smashed a ball past Carter Graham at first that allowed Lomavita to score from second.
 
The Cardinal cut the Bears' lead in half in the top of the second. A one-out double and a wild pitch allowed Moore to score on a ground ball to short by Drew Bowser. After two more base hits, Chris Stamos got a weak fly ball to center to end the inning.
 
Stamos was one of seven Cal pitchers used on the evening. He went two complete, scattering three hits, a run with a strikeout. Taking the loss was reliever Robert Aivazian (0-4) who pitched better than his numbers indicated. He went 3.2 innings and was charged with three hits, five runs, two earned with three walks, and three strikeouts.
 
In the sixth inning with the Bears leading 5-2, the Cardinal tied it up and took the lead thanks to a six-run four-hit rally. Aivazian got the first two outs but ran out of gas and couldn't close out the frame. Stanford loaded the bases on back-to-back walks when the Bears turned the ball over to Daniel Colwell. Colwell got the ground ball the Bears needed, a screamer to short but Crawford couldn't come up with the play, allowing two runs to score. Stanford eventually took the lead that same inning when Graham hit a bases-clearing double to center field to make it 8-5.
 
In the eighth Stanford tacked on six more runs on five hits. RBI singles by Montgomery, Rios, and Bowser were the big hits. Cal also walked in two runs. In the home half the Bears finally got the big hit they were looking for all weekend. With two outs Jack Johnston notched the second of his two hits with a single to left field Handron walked to put two aboard for Lomavita who deposited a 1-2 offering deep onto the grass in left field. He eventually came around to score on a double by Souto.
 
The Bears were much better in situational hitting on Wednesday evening. Cal hit .357 (5-for-14) with two outs and .308 (4-for-13) with runners in scoring position.
 
In the ninth inning with the Bears trailing 14-10, Cardinal erased any hopes of a dramatic comeback scoring four more runs in the ninth.
 
Earning the win for Stanford was reliever Brandt Pancer (2-0) who went just 0.2 innings but recorded a strikeout. Starter Mat Scott went 4.1 innings allowing six hits, and five runs (three earned) with two walks, and six strikeouts.
 
With the loss, Cal finishes its 2023 season. Stanford will play No. 6 Oregon tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. PT to decide the winner of the Pool. Semifinals take place on Friday starting at 2:30 p.m. PT.  
 
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