BERKELEY – With the score tied 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh, the California baseball team got the clutch hit it needed when Caleb Lomavita slapped a single through the right side to score a pair. The Golden Bears added to their lead in the eight and held the Bruins in check to take game two of the series 4-1 on Saturday afternoon at Stu Gordon Stadium.
 
Cal (10-3, 2-0 Pac-12) is now 8-0 at home this season and have won five straight over UCLA. The Bears finished the day with four runs on nine hits. The big hits were an RBI single from PJ Moutzouridis, the two-run single from Lomavita, and a solo home run in the eighth from Peyton Schulze.
 
Cal's pitching staff was brilliant on Saturday. Starting pitcher Tom Mayer did not factor in the decision, but he tossed 5.2 strong innings, scattering four hits a run, and two walks while striking out four.
 
The defense behind Mayer was sensational. The Bears turned a crucial double play to end a threat in the fourth and Lomavita threw out a pair of would-be base stealers. In the ninth, Jag Burden robbed the Bruins of a hit that would have loaded the bases with one out, by diving for a shallow hit fly ball in left field.
 
Offensively, UCLA (5-8, 0-2) could not string together enough hits. The Bruins had eight runners left on base and were just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Cody Schrier went 2-for-4 and had the Bruins' only RBI when he hit a two-out single to left field that scored AJ Salgado from second.
 
Earning the win for the Bears was reliever Connor Sullivan (1-0). Sullivan entered the game in the seventh inning and held the Bruins to three hits and a walk over the remainder of the contest.
 
With the game tied 1-1 in the seventh, UCLA handed the ball off to relief pitcher Luke Rodriguez (0-3). Matthew Thomas started the rally with a base hit through the left side. Alec Ritch pinch-ran for Thomas and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Seth Gwynn. An infield single to Jarren Advincula and a walk to Moutzouridis loaded the bases for Lomavita who hit a sharp ground ball through the right side that scored Ritch and Advincula.
 
Rodriguez went just a third of an inning and allowed a hit and a run. He was pulled in favor of Luke Delvecchio who allowed the single to Lomavita.
 
Delvecchio served up the home run to Schulze to open the eighth, giving the Bears a three-run advantage. It was the fourth home run of the year for Schulze. Moutzouridis went 2-for-3 with an RBI, he opened the scoring with a single up the middle that scored Gwynn from second. Max Handron also collected a pair of hits.
 
UCLA starter Finn McIlroy went 4.0 complete, allowing three hits and a run with a walk and four strikeouts. Landon Stump pitched two scoreless innings of relief for the Bruins.
 
Cal goes for the series sweep tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. In the final matchup as conference foes, Sunday's contest will be the ultimate rubber match as the all-time series is now tied 187-187.
 
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