Bears Stay Hot, Take 3 of 4 from Lions

The California Bears wrapped up their 4 game series against Loyola on a winning note, winning 6-1 on the strong pitching efforts of Alex Rollin and 3 ½ innings of scoreless relief from Daniel Wolford and closer Matt Gorgen.

The Bears took 3 of 4 from Loyola, who came into the series on a 4 game winning streak, taking the first 2 games of the series with a flurry of runs, winning 10-4 and 21-9 before falling in the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader, 6-2.

“This was a great weekend,” said Cal head Coach David Esquer. “They’re a good club. They swing the bat really well.”

The 13-2-1 Bears jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead behind a leadoff home run by DH Rich Gorman in the 1st.

After a Loyola run, the Bears extended their lead to 4-1 in the 3rd, as catcher Dylan Tonneson led off the inning with a single, and then advanced to third on a Michael Brady single. Tonneson came around to score on a Keadle wild pitch before a pair of doubles by Gorman and Josh Satin plated 2 more runs for the Bears.

The Bears added their final pair of runs with a Brady smash onto the roof of the RSF in the 6th and a Tonneson RBI single in the 7th.

Satin ran his hitting streak to 16 games this season and 21 in total with his pair of hits on the day. The Bear 2nd baseman continues to lead the Bears on the year with his scorching .441 average.

The Bears also garnered 3 hits from Tonneson and a pair from 1st baseman David Cooper on the day.

The Bears have continued to build their record on strong run production and solid pitching, outhitting opponents at a .332 to .224 clip and outscoring opponents 134-55, a far cry from last season’s double-digit single run losses.

“We were definitely expecting things to be different for us this year,” said pitcher Tyson Ross. “We were expecting things to be very positive and this hot start’s just been really great.”

Ross took the mound for the second time in Saturday’s win before leaving after 5 innings with tightness in his arm.

Is there any concern with his arm?

“No, I’ve just been taking my time coming back. I’ll take my start on Thursday,” said Ross.

The Bears homestand will last one more game, with a single game against Sacramento State on Tuesday.

“We’ll probably give a couple young guys a look but, especially going into league, you don’t want to slow anything down and then restart again next weekend,” said Esquer.

After Tuesday’s game against the Hornets, the Bears will launch their Pac 10 season, opening on the road in Pullman vs. Washington State on Thursday.

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