ATLANTA – The California baseball team (17-18, 6-12 ACC) took No. 18 Georgia Tech (29-7, 14-4 ACC) down to the wire on Sunday at Russ Chandler Stadium before falling by a score of 4-3 in the finale of a three-game series. Cal led 3-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth but the Yellow Jackets scored single runs in their half of the sixth and seventh while holding the Golden Bears scoreless over their final three trips to the plate.
Jacob French (3-4, R, 2B) and Carl Schmidt (2-3, BB) had multiple-hit games for Cal, while PJ Moutzouridis (1-3, RBI, SF), Cade Campbell (1-4, RBI, HBP) and Ryan Tayman (1-4, RBI) each drove in a run.

Cal starting pitcher Oliver de la Torre received a no decision, scattering three runs (one earned), six hits and two walks with two strikeouts over the first 5.1 innings. Cole Tremain (1.0 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 SO, 1 HBP) was the first of two Golden Bear relievers and took the loss after being charged with Georgia Tech's seventh-inning run after hitting Parker Brosius with one out before Vahn Lackey greeted Ethan Foley (1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 2 SO) with a double to move Brosius to third and Drew Burress brought him home with an RBI infield single.

Burress (3-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI) had three of the Yellow Jackets' eight hits, while Lackey (2-4, R, 2B) had two. Carson Kerce (1-3, 2 RBI) drove in a pair of runs and Caleb Daniel (1-2, 2 BB, RBI) drove in one.

Jaylen Paden earned the win to improve to 4-0 on the season despite allowing two runs (two earned), five hits, one walk and one wild pitch in his 2.0 innings as the first of two Yellow Jacket relievers. Mason Patel (2.0 IP, 1 H) faced the minimum six batters over the final two innings including a double play to the end contest and earn his third save of the campaign. Georgia Tech starter Caden Spivey limited the Bears to one run on four hits, three walks and one wild pitch with two strikeouts over the first 5.0 innings.

Cal took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Advincula drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a Schmidt groundout and was singled home by Campbell before the Yellow Jackets got Dominic Smaldino to hit into an inning-ending double play.

The Bears got runners into scoring position in each of the next three innings but left all of them stranded.

Georgia Tech had a runner on in both the first and third innings but Cal turned inning-ending double plays in both frames before the Yellow Jackets finally broke through with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth. Lackey reached on a fielding error by Campbell at third base to start the inning and moved to second on a Burress single before an RBI single by Daniel tied the game at 1-1 and a sacrifice fly from Kerce gave the Yellow Jackets a 2-1 advantage.

Cal retook the lead with a pair of runs in the top of the sixth. Smaldino started the rally by greeting Paden with a leadoff single and moved to third on French's double before PJ Moutzouridis' sacrifice fly plated Smaldino and an RBI infield single from Tayman scored French.

Georgia Tech got one run back in its half of the sixth to tie the game again at 3-3 when Burress led off with a double and scored on Kerce's one-out single through the left side.

Cal threatened to retake the lead again in the top of the seventh when Schmidt led off with a single and moved to second on a wild pitch before Campbell was hit by a pitch to give the Bears runners on first and second with no outs. But Schmidt was picked off second for the first out and Paden struck out Smaldino for out number two. A single by French put Bears at the corners before Paden retired Moutzouridis on a groundout to third.

Cal returns home for a nonconference game against Fresno State on Tuesday with first pitch at Stu Gordon Stadium at 6 p.m. PT. A live stream of the contest will be available on ACCNX/ESPN+.
 
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