5:33: I just broke the first rule of being a sports journalist: I cheered in the press box.  Josh Satin, a fellow Southern-Californian and Dodger fan, a senior, just hit a walk-off home run to left-center field to win his last home game ever at Evans Diamond.  The Bears win 7-6 in 10 innings, out-hitting UCLA 16-13, but all that counted was one.  Satin was mobbed at the plate, and lifted up on his team’s shoulders, as he should be.  All four of his grandparents are here, and they all saw his 18th home run to win the game.  Boy, oh, boy, what a game this is, this game of baseball.  (Click here to read more…)

UPDATE 9:33: Cal staged a last-minute mini-rally, but it fell woefully short. Jackson fouled out to Braunecker to lead off the inning, but Dylan Tonneson cracked a solid single into left center field to give the Bears some hope. Canha came up and dunked a dying quail down into right field to advance Tonneson to third, and B.J. Guinn, in his first at-bat of the game, flied out to center to score Tonneson on the sacrifice. But that was all she wrote, as designated hitter Michael Capbarat grounded into a fielder’s choice to the shortstop to end the game.

Cal scored one run on six hits, with five errors, while San Francisco scored five runs on eight hits and committed no errors. (Click here to read more…)

The Cal baseball team got slapped hard by Sacramento State today at Evans Diamond. 12-6. Damn. I can easily say that this was the worst I’ve ever seen the Bears play in my three years covering them. Five errors by Cal and only four earned runs out of 12 for the Hornets. See tomorrow’s article in the Daily Cal for the down and dirty.

But for now, here are a few notes. (Click here to read more…)

The No. 12 Cal baseball team dropped the back end of Saturday’s doubleheader against Loyola Marymount to snap its nine-game winning streak, but before the Lions got the better of the Bears, Cal hitters put on a helluva show in the morning half.

The Bears decimated Loyola Marymount 21-9 off of 19 hits, and slammed six roundtrippers, including one by leadoff hitter Rich Gorman, who is generously listed at 5-foot-9. As a sidenote, Gorman popped another leadoff bomb in today’s win as well. Those are his first and second career home runs, respectively. But the big fireworks came from the usual suspects. (Click here to read more…)

The No. 12 Cal baseball team (11-1-1) won its eighth straight game today at Evans Diamond by the tally of 10-4 against Loyola Marymount (7-8). The headliner of the game was supposed to be starter Tyson Ross, returning from two weeks on the injured list. Ross worked a solid three no-hit innings, before a dying quail fell in front of right fielder Blake Smith in the top of the fourth to break up the no-no. Given Smith’s toughness and grit, I expected him to dive, and it looked like Ross did too, because immediately afterward, he gave up a two-run home run. Ross gave up one more run - again on a homer - in the fifth before the weather turned chilly and damp. I’d bet that coach David Esquer pulled Ross so as to not aggravate the injury more, which is probably a good idea. He definitely was fidgeting and looked uncomfortable. (Click here to read more…)

The No. 18 Cal baseball team claimed yet another victory today, defeating Northern Iowa 11-3 on the artificial turf of the Minnesota Twins’ Metrodome in Minneapolis, Minn.

The Bears opened the University of Minnesota Tournament with a solid win, led by hefty lefty Chris Petrini, who looked superb in his second outing of the year. The sophomore southpaw upped his record to 2-0 with 7 quality innings, allowing three hits and three runs with four walks and six strikeouts. The good pitching continued for Cal, as sophomore Michael Bugary came on to toss two innings of scoreless relief, allowing only one hit and two walks while striking out five.

The middle of the Bears lineup was scintillating … again. (Click here to read more…)