BERKELEY – The No. 19 California softball team dropped the series opener to No. 21 Arizona, 9-5, on a wet Friday afternoon at Levine-Fricke Field.   

Alyssa Herrera hit a 3-run home run and Tianna Bell drove in a pair of runs for the Golden Bears (22-8, 1-6 Pac-12). Dakota Kennedy, Regan Shockey and Emily Schepp recorded three hits apiece for the Wildcats (21-7-1, 4-3 Pac-12).

Cal was forced to fight back early as Arizona built a 5-0 lead after the top of the second on eight hits. The Bears started to do just that in the home half, getting right back in the game when the freshman Herrera hit her third long ball of the season to make it a 5-3 game after two full innings.

Ashanti McDade came on in relief of starter Randi Roelling and was strong the first time through the lineup, putting a zero on the scoreboard in the third and fourth. The Bears showed more fight in the home half of the third, tying the game at 5-5 when Bell hit a double just inside the right field line.

Arizona was able to retake the lead in the fifth on a Taylor Biehl 2-run double before an RBI single made it 8-5. Another RBI single gave the Wildcats a four-run lead in the seventh and Cal left two runners on base in the bottom half of the inning to end the game.

UP NEXT
Cal and Arizona meet for game two of the series at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Levine-Fricke Field. The matchup will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.    

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