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…)

The Cal baseball team has ascended to No. 10 in the latest Rivals.com rankings, with Stanford sinking to No. 15.  Surprisingly, the Bears only moved up three spots to No. 13 with the Cardinal dropping to No. 14 in the Baseball America rankings.  I can’t say how shocked I am.  For once, I trust the Rivals rankings way more.  Baseball America must be joking.  The statement that Cal made this weekend was enormous, and the Bears took the wood to what was a top-10 team on the road.  Why they’ve only moved up three spots is beyond me. >

Well, baseball fans, it looks like there’ll be a dogfight at the top of the Pac-10 this year, and it’s going to coincide with a fight for position at the top of the college baseball world. This week’s Baseball America Top-25 rankings just came out this morning. The most striking thing to note about the list? Four Pac-10 teams remain in the rankings, including a mini-comeback by preseason No. 1 UCLA (they check in at No. 23 after not being ranked last week). But the real drama comes in the top-10, with Stanford vaulting up from No. 10 to No. 5, a spot recently vacated by the Cal baseball team, which now checks in at No. 7, behind No. 6 Arizona State. The top three teams in the conference are now bunched together at the top of the national rankings. Hang on, folks, it’s going to be a helluva ride. (Click here to read more…)

The No. 11 Cal baseball team (15-5-1, 2-1 in the Pac-10) again hit a stumbling block in its midweek game, this time losing its second straight extra-inning affair at Santa Clara, 7-5. The Broncos got to Bears closer Matt Gorgen in the bottom of the 10th, when Matt Long went long against the junior fireballer, tagging Gorgen for a two-run walk-off home run.

On a lighter note, senior second baseman Josh Satin just keeps on chugging. (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 Cal baseball team felled yet another ranked team tonight in the San Diego Invitational, defeating No. 22 San Diego State 5-3. That makes two wins over ranked teams this weekend, and one heartbreaker two-run loss to No. 5 Missouri.

Overall, this has been a huge weekend so far for the Bears. They definitely have made some noise during the first tournament weekend of the collegiate baseball season. It wouldn’t be surprising in the least if Cal (5-1-1) is ranked in next week’s Baseball America Top 25. (Click here to read more…)

It may take a few convincing wins over ranked teams for the Cal baseball team to elbow its way into the conversation in the stacked Pac-10, but today’s 14-4 thumping of No. 24 Fresno State in the opening game of the San Diego Invitational isn’t too bad of a start.

Starter Chris Petrini saw action for the first time since the beginning of the 2007 season, and threw 5 2/3 innings for the Bears, allowing four hits, four runs and five walks to go along with three strikeouts. His roughest inning was the first, in which he allowed the Bulldogs to jump out to a quick 3-0 lead. (Click here to read more…)