On a sunny clear day marred only by bitingly cold gusts of wind, the Bears were listless the plate, managing only a single hit through six innings before finally getting to junior Husky starter Nick Haughian for six straight hits, including sophomore catcher Dylan Tonneson’s solo home run and a two run shot by centerfielder Michael Capbarat as the Bears rallied for 4 runs to knot up the game in the 7th.
Cal starter Alex Rollin pitched well before being relieved by stopper Matt Gorgen, making an unusual early appearance. However, Gorgen was ineffective, as the Huskies extended their single run lead to four behind RBI singles from pinch hitter Bradley Boyer and 2nd baseman Bradley Boyer along with a double by Brian Pearl.
Sophomore reliever Blake Smith steadied the ship with two scoreless innings, including striking out the side in the eighth, allowing the Bears to rally for the win as 1st baseman David Cooper delivered a game-winning RBI single with two outs and a full count in the bottom of the 9th give the Bears the dramatic series victory.
The rubber game victory came after a series-opening 10-5 win Friday behind ace pitcher Tyson Ross and the hitting of Blake Smith (2 run homer, 4 RBI) and David Cooper’s 3 hits, including his 16th homer of the year on Friday.
The Huskies knotted the series on Saturday with a 7-4 win behind a 9th inning grand slam by Washington’s Jake Rife. The Bears tried to rally, scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th before Husky reliever Andy Lentz closed the game out for the Washington win.
The Bears ran their record to 26-10-2 and 7-5 with the series victory, good enough for a second place tie with 2nd ranked ASU heading into their crucial series in Tempe on Friday, a game out of first behind league-leading Stanford.
The Bears will have a Tuesday warm-up against Cal Poly on Tuesday in Berkeley before heading to Arizona this weekend.
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