BERKELEY, Calif. -- Freshman Robbie Tenerowicz doubled three times and drove in three runs to pace the California baseball team, which won the final two games of a three-game series with Arizona with a 6-4 victory Sunday on Senior Day at Evans Diamond.
Tenerowicz collected four hits in the contest, but his third was a two-run double in the sixth inning that snapped a 4-4 tie and put the Golden Bears in the lead for good. The rookie second baseman entered the weekend hitting .094 on the season but was 6 for 10 against the Wildcats, including four hits in four trips to the plate in Sunday's finale.
After seeing a 4-3 lead turn into a two-run deficit in the sixth, Arizona put runners in scoring position in the next two frames, but was unable to push a run across. In the seventh, Riley Moore struck out to strand Willie Calhoun at second, and in the eighth Kevin Newman bounced into an inning-ending double play.
Right-hander Jordan Talbot needed just one pitch to retire Newman, after relieving Alex Martinez in the eighth. Talbot would go on to pitch a scoreless ninth inning to close the game, earning his second save of the year.
Arizona (20-32, 9-21 Pac-12) had plenty of chances throughout, but stranded 11 runners on base. The club collected 11 hits in the game, but was only 6 for 21 (.286) with runners on base.
California (23-26, 11-16 Pac-12) was more opportunistic, hitting 5 for 13 with runners in scoring position and plating two key runs with two outs.
The Wildcats jumped on an erratic Ryan Mason, who walked Zach Gibbons to begin the game before his pickoff attempt sailed high at first and allowed Gibbons to reach third. Newman was hit by a pitch, and Scott Kingery followed with a sacrifice fly. Trent Gilbert later plated a run with a single to give the visitor's an early 2-0.
Mason (W, 6-1) settled down and threw six complete innings with just four runs allowed on nine hits in a winning effort. However, he was on the hook for a potential loss after the Wildcats scored twice on him in the sixth.
In that frame, Tyler Krause opened with a single and stole second, before being driven in by Willie Calhoun, who singled to center. One out later, Michael Hoard doubled to left-center, sending Calhoun home with the go-ahead run.
The Wildcats had a chance to open up a bigger lead, but Mason induced an inning-ending fly out from Kingery to leave the bases loaded.
In the bottom of the inning, the Golden Bears chased starter Tyger Talley from the contest. Brenden Farney singled and moved to second when Derek Campbell worked a one-out walk. Vince Bruno tied the game, 4-4, with a single, before Tenerowicz delivered his decisive double down the left-field line.
Trailing by a run in the home half of the first, Lucas Erceg put California on the board with an RBI single. An inning later, the Golden Bears tied the game on Aaaron Knapp's single, which scored Tenerowicz.
In the fourth, California took its first lead when Tenerowicz doubled home Campbell.
Talley (L, 1-4) took the loss with six runs allowed on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out one and walked one.
