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Hutchinson throws complete game 

Pitching on Fridays in the Pac-10 is a tough assignment. Every week, there are staff aces to square off against: USC’s Mark Prior, Arizona State’s Mike Esposito, and Oregon State’s Thad Johnson are a few that have gotten the best of Cal’s Trevor Hutchinson.  

But the junior right-hander was able to turn the tables Friday, striking out 10 Cardinal batters as Cal defeated Stanford, 7-4, yesterday at Evans Diamond. The win puts the Bears in good position to win their first series against Stanford since 1993. 

“For us to contend, we have to face a lot of number one’s (starters), guys with big reputations and big numbers behind them,” Cal head coach David Esquer said. “We have to be good enough to beat them.” 

In addition to Hutchinson (4-6), the Bears (25-21 overall, 10-9 Pac-10) were aided by a power surge in the sixth inning. Rob Meyer was hit by a pitch with one out, then watched designated hitter Brad Smith line a Jeremy Guthrie fastball over the right-centerfield fence, giving Cal a 5-4 lead. One out later, Ben Conley smashed his second home run of the season to leftfield. Conley was 3-4 with two runs scored in the game.  

Cal got out of the gates slowly in the first. A leadoff walk and two singles loaded the bases with no one out for the Cardinal, eventually leading to a run on a sac fly by Ryan Garko. With two outs, Andy Topham struck out, seemingly ending the inning. But the pitch was in the dirt, and catcher John Baker committed a throwing error to allow Stanford to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.  

“Against Stanford, you can’t afford to fall into a hole early, and we did just that,” said Hutchinson. “But we were able to battle back.” 

Cal responded with three runs of their own right away. Conley led off with a double down the leftfield line, and was brought home by Conor Jackson’s single. Brian Horwitz then singled, followed by a strikeout by Baker and a single by Carson White, loading the bases. Clint Hoover then grounded to Scott Dragicevich at shortstop. White was forced out at second, but Chris O’Riordan’s throw to first was in the dirt and escaped Arik Van Zandt at first, allowing Jackson and Horwitz to score and giving Cal a 3-2 lead. The teams combined for five errors in the game.  

The Cardinal (33-11, 11-5) would strike again in the second with one run, and scored again in the fourth when Jackson’s errant throw let in a run. From there, Hutchinson took control, setting down 13 consecutive Cardinal batters. After Jackson’s error in the fourth, the Cardinal did not have another baserunner until Dragicevich’s two-out single in the eighth. The score remained 4-3 until the Bears’ power surge in the sixth.  

“Once we settled down defensively, he (Hutchinson) really got himself on a roll,” said Esquer. “We’re going to need big performances from him.” 

For Cal to advance to the NCAA Regionals, they must win the series against Stanford, but the good news is that the Bears have not lost a series in which they won the opening game this season.  

“Beyond the big picture, we’ve really grown up as a team,” Esquer said. “They’ve shown a lot of poise not falling apart after making some key mistakes and giving (Stanford) runs. They’re starting to figure out what it takes to win.”