LOUISVILLE – The California baseball team (14-11, 5-5 ACC) rallied from a seven-run deficit to take their first lead of the game in the top of the ninth inning only to have No. 18/22/20 Louisville (19-6, 4-3 ACC) score two unearned runs in the bottom half of the frame for a wild 11-10 victory over the Golden Bears in the opener of a three-game ACC series Friday at Jim Patterson Stadium. The loss ended Cal's season-high five-game win streak.
Cal scored four times in the sixth inning to get within 9-6 and then in the top of the ninth got a three-run homer from
Dominic Smaldino to tie the game at 9-9 and a two-out RBI single from
Max Handron to score pinch-runner
Ethan Kodama with the go-ahead run. Cal had got its four runs in the seventh on a
Max Handron RBI single,
Jacob French two-RBI double and a Cardinals' throwing error.
Louisville tied the score at 10-10 when Lucas Moore doubled on a full count to plate Tagger Tyson, who had reached on the first error in 12 games by Cal shortstop
PJ Moutzouridis as the leadoff hitter. Tyson had moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Kamau Neighbors. The Cardinals then loaded the bases after a walk, hit batsmen and two stolen bases before Jake Munroe singled through the right side on the first pitch he saw from losing pitcher
Cole Clark (1-1) to plate Moore with the game-winner.
Cal used seven pitchers with Clark the final pitcher. He allowed two hits, two runs (none earned), one walk and one hit by pitch with one strikeout among the two outs he recorded in the ninth inning.
Cal finished with 14 hits and had at least one from all nine spots in the lineup. Smaldino (3-5, R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) tied career highs for hits, home runs and RBI, while Handron (2-3, 2 RBI, SH).
Jarren Advincula (2-4, R, 2B, BB, SH) and Gwynn (2-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI) had two hits apiece, and
Jacob French doubled and drove in a pair.
Louisville's 15-hit attack included six players with two hits each in Eddie King Jr. (2-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI), Tyson (2-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, SF), Garret Pike (2-5, R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB), Moore (2-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB, 1 HBP), Neighbors (2-4, R, RBI, SB, SH) and Zion Rose (2-6, R, RBI, SB). Munroe's game-winner was his only hit but he also scored a run, walked twice and had a sacrifice fly.
Louisville jumped on starting pitcher
Austin Turkington as Cal's Friday starter did not record an out until the sixth batter he went up against. Turkington hit the first two batters he faced before an RBI single by Rose, an RBI double from Piek and a sacrifice fly from Munroe gave the Cardinals an early 3-0 lead.
Cal scored twice in the second on back-to-back two-out RBI doubles from Gwynn and Smaldino but would not score again until the seventh.
Meanwhile, Louisville got another run off Turkington in the fourth on Alex Alicea's two-out RBI bunt single and three more in the third on a solo homer from Pike, an RBI double by King Jr. and a sacrifice fly by Tyson.
Louisville got its final two runs until the bottom of the ninth in its half of the fifth on back-to-back RBI singles from Neighbors and Moore.
Tucker Biven (2-0) was credited with the win despite allowing four runs (three earned), four hits and one walk in 1.2 innings as the fourth and final Louisville pitcher. He recorded the final out in the eighth inning before pitching the entire ninth.
Louisville starter Patrick Forbes struck 13 in a 6.0-inning no-decision outing, scattering eight hits, six runs (five earned) and two walks.
Cal and Louisville continue their three-game series on Saturday (11 am PT) before the series finale Sunday (9 am PT). A live video stream of Saturday's contest will be available on ACCNX/ESPN+, while Sunday's game will be televised by the ACC Network.
