Home runs, heart and home-field advantage: Cal takes three of four from Utah
Lisi Ludwig/Senior Staff
From the music bumping from the tailgates in the parking lots to the cheer-leading parents in the stands, the energy at Levine-Fricke Field this past weekend made for an emotional experience. The clamoring of the metal bleachers once again echoed through Strawberry Canyon and banter from the stands about the umpire’s impossibly small strike zone returned.
For the first time in nearly two years, Cal softball fans were back.
Though fans were happy just to be able to attend the game, smiles widened as the Bears took three of four from the visiting Utes. The series win marked Cal’s first in Pac-12 play.
Winless in Seattle: Bears swept by Huskies, snap six-game skid at Saint Mary s
dailycal.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailycal.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Cal softball rested, ready for weekend in Washington
Lisi Ludwig/Senior Staff
Cal softball hoped to be UCLA’s toughest opponent this past weekend. COVID-19 proved tougher.
Eager to host the defending national champions for what would have been Levine-Fricke Field’s first taste of Pac-12 play since May 2019, the Bruins experienced COVID-19 complications that forced the cancellation of their series with the Bears.
While it has yet to be determined if the games against No. 2 UCLA will be rescheduled, an imminent series with No. 6 Washington offers Cal an opportunity to reroute its excitement and challenge another formidable conference opponent. The four-game series will start Thursday evening, followed by a doubleheader Friday and the finale Saturday.
“The greatest equalizer is a new day.”
Head coach Chelsea Spencer likes to remind her team of that, and it’s a theme that has yet to be broken for better or worse through Cal softball’s first three weekends of action.
After falling to Sacramento State in its season opener, Cal rallied for a come-from-behind walk-off win against Saint Mary’s the next day. Likewise, the Bears’ close loss to their South Bay rivals Feb. 26 made its dominant, redemptive victory over the Cardinal Feb. 27 all the sweeter.
Back at Stanford’s Boyd and Jill Smith Family Stadium for the DeMarini Invitational, the blue and gold followed a similar trajectory; following a heartbreaking, extra-inning loss against BYU on Thursday, Cal regrouped to close out the weekend with a pair of wins over UCSB.
Cal earns wins over Cal Baptist, splits pair against Cardinal at Stanford Invitational
Brian Bi/File
Grand slams, collegiate debuts, cross-town rival redemption this past weekend had it all.
Hoping to capitalize on the momentum from last Sunday’s electrifying come-from-behind, walk-off victory into the South Bay, the Bears brought their bats and were dominant on the mound, leaving the weekend with three wins and a loss.
In its 7-4 win over Cal Baptist on Friday afternoon, Cal picked up where it left off with two runs in the top of the first. Mikayla Coelho hit a leadoff single and eventually found third, after a wild pitch from Lancer pitcher Giana Lopez and groundout from Makena Smith. Lauren Espalin then put the ball in play to reach base on an error by Cal Baptist’s third baseman, bringing Coelho in to score and give Cal a 1-0 advantage. A two-out infield single courtesy of Kacey Zobac brought Espalin home, putting the Bears up 2-0.
vimarsana © 2020. All Rights Reserved.