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Cal hitters chase three Cougar pitchers in first inning 

Cal scored all of their runs in an explosive first inning and cruised to a 10-1 victory over Washington State Sunday afternoon at Evans Diamond. The win prevented the Cougars (10-17, 2-1 Pac-10) from sweeping the three-game series, and gave Cal (15-13, 2-4) only its second Pac-10 victory of this season.  

“This was a big win for us,” said Cal head coach David Esquer. “We salvaged the weekend, and that’s what you have to do in the Pac-10.” 

Cal opened the game on fire, as Ben Conley, Brad Smith, and Brian Horowitz smacked three consecutive singles. Horowitz’s single plated Conley to give the Bears the early lead. After a Clint Hoover double, a triple by Conor Jackson, and a single by Carson White, the Bears had opened up a 5-0 lead and chased Cougar starter Zack Fisher (0-4), who did not record an out. When the smoke cleared, Cal had sent 15 runners to the plate, scoring 10 runs on nine hits and disposing of three Cougar pitchers – all in the first inning.  

“We swung the bats well early,” said Esquer. “The first two games of this series, (Washington State) got the jump on us. We needed an early lead today.”  

Washington State lefthander Garret Alwert, the Cougars fourth pitcher of the ballgame, retired the Bears in the first and pitched 7 1/3 innings of scoreless ball, giving up only three hits. 

Bear hurler Jason Dennis (2-1) never let the Washington State offense mount any comeback. The Cal lefthander held the Cougars to one unearned run and four hits in six innings of work.  

“He’ll get better each time he goes out there,” said Esquer. “He’s done a good job for us, especially coming off the surgery (left elbow) he’s had.”  

Washington State’s lone run came in the sixth inning, when an error by Jackson at third led to a sacrifice fly by Stephen Baile. 

Horowitz finished the day 3 for 5 at the plate with two runs scored and three RBI’s. The freshman leftfielder also extended his hitting streak to 23 games. Smith also recorded three hits on the afternoon, and Hoover drove in three runs. 

The Bears completed the series against Washington State much like the previous one against Arizona State. In both cases, Cal lost two hard-fought games to begin the series, but won the finale in a laugher to keep their pride.  

“I think we’ve played hard, but we haven’t gotten the breaks,” said Esquer. “We have to keep fighting; eventually, we’ll get them.” 

Cal finishes their homestand against Pacific on Tuesday before traveling to Washington. The Huskies were swept by Stanford at Sunken Diamond this weekend.  

“They are very well coached, and because their field is all artificial turf, it will play faster,” said Esquer. “This will be a good experience for our team.”