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.

Cal had trailed 8-3 after two-and-a-half innings before scoring six unanswered runs to take a 9-8 lead after six frames. The Bears scored twice in the fourth on Max Handron's two-run homer before adding three in the fifth after two were out on an RBI single from Applefield and a two-run single by Handron. Cal scored its final run of the game in the sixth when Carl Schmidt's RBI single plated Alex Birge, who had singled with one out to start the rally.

The two teams combined for five runs in the first inning of the three-hour, 24-minute contest. Keighran hit the first of his two home runs to give the Dons a 2-0 lead before Cal answered with three runs in its half of the first. Jarren Advincula doubled with two outs to start the rally and scored on Smaldino's RBI single before Applefield launched brought home two more with his second homer in his many games.

San Francisco scored six runs in the top of the third with the first six batters getting hits off Cal reliever Jordy Lopez (1.0 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO). The first three runs scored on Keighran's second long ball in as many at bats before Nick Walsh ended Lopez' outing three batters later with an RBI single that was the Dons' sixth consecutive hit of the inning. Burke then greeted JJ Hollis (2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB) to make it seven straight hits with an RBI single before the final run of the inning scored two batters later when Jordan Lewis beat out a potential inning-ending double play for an RBI fielder's choice.

Eight of nine starters for each team had at least one of a combined 22 hits with each club collecting 11.

Handron (2-3, R, HR, 4 RBI), Applefield (2-3, 3 R, HR, BB, HBP, 3 RBI) and Smaldino (2-5, 2 R, RBI) had multiple-hit games and drove in a combined eight runs for the Bears with Applefield's three runs driven in a career high and Handron's four RBI equaling a career mark.

Keighran (2-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI) led the Dons' offensive attack, while Burke (2-3, 2 RBI, BB) and Esquivel (2-4, 2 R, 2B, BB) also had a pair of hits apiece.

Cal (18-26, 6-18 ACC) visits San Jose State (21-23, 9-12 MWC) in a nonconference game at Excite Ballpark on Wednesday (6 p.m. PT). A live stream of the contest will be available on the Mountain West Network.
 
STAY POSTED
For coverage of Cal baseball, please follow the Bears on X (@CalBaseball) and Instagram (@CalBaseball).