BERKELEY – The California baseball team allowed single runs in the top of the eighth and ninth innings in a 10-9 nonconference home loss to San Francisco (20-25) at Stu Gordon Stadium on Tuesday evening.
San Francisco scored the winning run when Eddison Esquivel led off the Dons’ ninth with a double off losing pitcher Tucker Bougie (0-1). Esquivel moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Tyler Harris before Bougie hit Trevor Harmon to put runners at the corners with one out. Brendan Burke followed with a sacrifice fly to right field as Esquivel just beat Cal right fielder Kalen Applefield’s throw to the plate.
Winning pitcher Kolby Calia (3.0 IP, 2 BB, 2 SO) retired the Golden Bears in order in the bottom of the ninth inning and improved to 4-3. Calia held the Bears hitless over the final three frames and faced just one batter over the minimum.
The Dons had tied the score at 9-9 in the top of the eighth on an RBI groundout by pinch hitter TJ Rogers after Cal reliever Logan Piper (3.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 SO) walked the bases loaded with one out after Piper had been outstanding in the previous three frames when he retired nine of the first 10 batters he faced. After Piper reloaded the bases with his fourth walk of the eighth, Bougie came on to get Patrick Keighran for the final out of the inning on a hard-hit ball that Cal first baseman Dominic Smaldino snagged on one hop and raced over to first base for the final out.
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