BERKELEY – The California baseball team got off to a terrific start, scoring the first three runs of the contest. However, Utah (15-6, 4-3 Pac-12) scored seven unanswered runs to take game one of this three-game series 7-3 on Friday afternoon at Stu Gordon Stadium.
 
Cal's (13-6, 4-3) streak of nine consecutive home wins ends, they match the best home record to start the season with the 2013 squad. The Bears finished the afternoon with three runs on seven hits. The big hits were an RBI double by Rodney Green Jr. in the first and a solo home run from Caleb Lomavita in the third. The home run by Lomavita was his ninth of the season and 32nd of his career, tying him with Lance Blakenship (1983-86) for eighth all-time.
 
The Golden Bears struck first, scoring two in the bottom of the first inning. PJ Moutzouridis started the rally by drawing a walk on four pitches. With the count 2-2, Green jumped all over the pitch and hit a stand-up double to center field that scored Moutzouridis from first. Green took third on a deep fly ball to right field from Lomavita and scored on the productive out from Peyton Schulze.
 
The Bears added a third run in the bottom of the third inning when Lomavita slapped a ball down the right field line for a solo home run. That would be it for the Bears on offense.
 
Luke Short settled into a nice groove early. After giving up a leadoff single to Core Jackson, he retired eighth in a row before allowing a two-out walk in the third. His strong outing started to show cracks in the top of the fourth when he surrendered a one-out home run to TJ Clarkson on a ball to right field to make it 3-1.
 
Short could not get out of the inning in the fifth after surrendering a walk and three straight hits after recording the first out. A flyout by Kai Roberts to left field allowed the tying run to score. Jake Guardiancic ended the frame by getting a ground out.
 
After scoring three early on starter Merit Jones (1-1), Cal struggled in the middle innings. Cal had five batters retired on the first pitch, allowing Jones to settle into a comfort zone. The sophomore went seven complete, surrendering seven hits, three runs, all earned, with two walks and four strikeouts.
 
In the seventh inning, the Bears base running helped Jones. With the game tied 3-3, Advincula led off the inning with a single to left field but was thrown out at second attempting to stretch the play into a double. Seth Gwynn then singled to reach and was erased on a fielder's choice from Nico Button. Button was then thrown out attempting to steal on a wild pitch that didn't get far enough away from catcher Hunter Antillion.
 
Utah scored four in the eighth to put the game out of reach for the Bears. Back-to-back singles put runners at first and third for Tyler Quinn who broke the 3-3 tie with a ground out to second that allowed Drake Digiorno to score from third. A single to right field by Karson Bodily once again put runners at the corners with one out for Kaden Carpenter who hit a ground ball to short for the second out that allowed Clarkson to score and made it 5-3. A walk and a triple down the right field line by Bruer Webster allowed the final two runs to cross the plate for the Utes, who rallied to score four runs on four hits.
 
Taking the loss for the Bears was relief pitcher Christian Becerra (3-1) who went 3.0 full, allowing six hits, four runs with a walk, and four strikeouts.
 
Randon Hostert pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth to preserve the win in a non-save situation. He allowed two hits and struck out two.
 
Seth Gwynn went 3-for-4, he was the only Cal player with multiple hits. Advincula extends his hit streak to a team-leading nine games after going 1-for-3.
 
Game two of the series is scheduled to begin at 2:05 p.m. tomorrow.

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