Wild pitches not enough: Bears fall to Wildcats
Consistency is the key to success.
For the blue and gold, however, consistency has been their greatest shortcoming.
Going into this weekend’s competitions against Arizona and San Jose State, the Bears were sporting a .500 record. After those four games, the Bears are still breaking even. While their record is staying fairly stable, the blue and gold’s inability to consistently perform at their best is cause for concern among fans.
“We’ve had some good wins but our consistency is not up to par, which has shown in our record,” said Cal head coach Mike Neu.
Cal started the weekend strong, picking up a dramatic 9-8 walk-off victory over No. 16 Arizona, in which it scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth off three wild pitches and one passed ball.
The game seemed to be all Arizona as it led Cal 8-2 through the first six innings. Despite enduring nearly four hours of play, Cal fans roared to life when freshman Rodney Green Jr. slid home to get the Bears their fourth win over a nationally ranked school.
Though the Bears secured a win in their Pac-12 opener, the Wildcats proved that it was a fluke by picking up dominant wins in the remaining two games of the series.
On Saturday, the two sides went head-to-head for most of the game, exchanging runs through the first seven innings. The Wildcats put the game away in the final two innings, scoring five unanswered runs and eventually winning 10-4.
Going into the rubber match, Berkeley was buzzing with excitement as Evans Diamond was renamed Evans Diamond at Stu Gordon Stadium before the first pitch.
“This day has been unbelievable,” said Cal baseball alumnus, philanthropist and now stadium namesake Stu Gordon. “It’s an unreal dream.”
The cherry on top for Gordon would’ve been a Cal victory. Arizona, however, showed everyone at Stu Gordon Stadium why it’s ranked No. 16, as it slid to a landslide 13-5 victory.
The Wildcats wasted no time to put the game away as they tallied nine runs in the first inning. History was made for the Wildcats as sophomore Daniel Susac hit two home runs in a single inning — something that hadn’t been done by an Arizona player since 1998.
Despite the loss, Cal left-handed pitcher Ian May was a bright spot as he kept the Wildcats scoreless for three innings and only allowed one run through four. Cal’s strongest efforts to get back into the game were futile as Arizona simply put it too far out of reach too early.
The reigning Pac-12 champions effectively eliminated any doubts fans might have had as they now have the most wins among the Pac-12 schools and boast a 2-1 conference record.
Cal seemed to have a short-term memory as it traveled down to San Jose and secured its most dominant win of the season. Winning 17-5, the Bears’ game was batting practice.
The highlight of Cal’s superb performance was freshman Caleb Lomavita’s ninth inning grand slam. This marked Lomavita’s fourth home run of the season and was an excellent demonstration of why he has become a recurring starter.
This weekend’s contrasting results make one thing clear: The Bears are consistently inconsistent.
It is the second of four competition weekends in which Cal has split results. For a team looking to have a postseason birth, the Bears are not showing it.
“It’s mixed feelings on where we’re at, but all we can really do at this point is look forward,” Neu said.
While these mixed results are not too much of a problem this early in the season, they are minimizing Cal’s chances of securing a regionals spot early. The blue and gold have shown they are more than capable of putting together a well-rounded team performance, but their inability to do so regularly will ultimately be their downfall.
Amber Soto covers baseball. Contact her at asoto@dailycal.org.