Friday’s Game 1 was a winner-take-all scenario in which the Bruins squeezed a 3-1 victory and prematurely handed Cal its fourth conference series loss.
No. 20 Cal traveled south to Easton Stadium this past weekend for a Pac-12 series matchup against No. 12 UCLA.
A scheduled three-game slate was not to be as the final two games were canceled “due to unplayable field conditions.” Additionally, it has been announced that those two games will not be rescheduled.
This made Friday’s Game 1 a winner-take-all scenario in which the Bruins squeezed a 3-1 victory and prematurely handed Cal its fourth conference series loss.
In a game where the Bears doubled UCLA in hits and managed to strike seven batters out, they struggled to bring runners home, leaving a combined total of five on base, two of which came in the final inning.
Cal’s freshman catcher, Lagi Quiroga, continues her outstanding debut campaign with her 10th home run of the season, making her the second Bear to reach double-digit home runs this season. Quiroga’s 10 long balls are tied for sixth in the Pac-12 and she is the only conference freshman to reach such a mark this season.
The Los Angeles local has been an offensive mainstay for the Bears, ranking top five in batting average (.333), runs (21), hits (36) and on-base percentage (.383), with RBIs (23) and total bases (72) in Cal’s top three.
Despite having the second-best overall record (29-12) in the Pac-12, Cal’s 4-9 conference record is the second-worst in the division.
The blue and gold started their season as well as anyone could have imagined, but have faced major woes in its back half. Since their 21-2 start, the Bears have gone 8-10, but their remaining 11 games — nine of which will be against three Pac-12 opponents — will begin to ease their schedule.
Losing out on the opportunity to possibly steal a series on the road against UCLA — a program that has dominated Cal over the years — is going to be a tough pill to swallow. Before returning home to Levine-Fricke Field, the Bears make a nonconference pit stop at Fresno State in hopes of avoiding a three-game losing streak.
In its 17-game history, Cal has the upper hand over the Bulldogs 13 times, and the Bears are going into Wednesday’s matchup with a four-game winning streak against Fresno State.
Though the Bulldogs may not present the challenge that a Pac-12 team would, they are still a team that could win on any given day. Fresno State currently sits at a 28-13 record and has been dominant at home with a 16-8 record, whereas the Bears have received half of their losses on the road (6-6). The Bulldogs also find themselves with more momentum than the Bears, as they have been the victors of eight of their last 11 games.
But Cal, even with the struggles of late, has been able to handle business against its nonconference matchups, winning 25 of the possible 28 games.
The Bears have recorded more runs, home runs, stolen bases and walks than the Bulldogs. Defensively, the Bears have allowed fewer hits, runs and have outscored their opponents by a larger margin. However, as the Cal players have emphasized all season long, softball is not a loyal game and any team could fall at any given moment.
The mid-week matchup could be what Cal needs to end its season on a high note. The first pitch will be at 6 p.m.
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