BERKELEY – No. 6 Clemson (29-5, 8-3 ACC) secured a series win over the California baseball team (16-14, 6-8 ACC) on Saturday with a 13-3 victory over the Golden Bears at Stu Gordon Stadium in a game shortened to seven innings by the run rule. The Tigers scored all 13 of their runs in the first two innings. Dominic Smaldino and Cade Campbell accounted for two of Cal's three runs on solo homers in the second and sixth innings as they remained tied for the team lead with eight long balls on the season. Elijah Clayton drove in the Bears' other run on a sacrifice fly as a pinch hitter in the fifth in his first collegiate at bat.

The Tigers jumped on Cal starter and losing pitcher Gavin Eddy (2-2) for six runs in the top of the first with Collin Priest's towering grand slam down the right field line bringing in the first four runs followed by solo homers from Jacob Jarrell and Josh Paino.

Eddy lasted just 1.0 inning but Clemson added seven more against relievers Tucker Bougie and Lucas Alaniz in the top of the second. Andrew Ciufo had a three-run homer to cap the Tigers' second offensive outburst in as many innings

Cal's final four relievers – Kaden Taque, Jake Guardiancic, JJ Hollis, and Miles Tenscher – held Clemson scoreless over the final 5.0 innings but the damage had been done.

Clemson starter Ethan Darden (4-2) earned the win by limiting Cal to three runs and five hits with one walk and one strikeout over 6.0 innings. Nathan Dvorsky retired the Bears in order in the bottom of the seventh including the final two batters on strikeouts.

Priest (3-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 5 RBI) and Cam Cannarella (3-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB) had three hits each to lead Clemson's 15-hit attack, while Jarrell (2-3, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB), Paino (2-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI) and Jarren Purify (2-4, 2 R, BB) had a pair apiece.

Jarren Advincula had a pair of season-long streaks end by going 0-for-3. Advincula flied out to left field in his first at bat to lead off the bottom of the first then grounded out to shortstop in his second in the third before flying out to center field in his final at bat in the fifth. Advincula had carried a season-long 15-game hitting streak and a run of 24 consecutive games of reaching base into the contest. Both were season longs and within striking distance of his career bests of a 19-game hit streak and a 27-game run of reaching base safely, both set in 2024.

Cal and Clemson conclude their current three-game series Sunday with first pitch at 1 pm PT. A live stream will be available on ACCNX/ESPN+. The Bears are looking to avoid being swept in a three-game series for fhe first time in just shy of a calendar year when Arizona took all three games of a Pac-12 series in Berkeley (April 5-7, 2004).

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