BASE5/14/2016 9:23 PM | By: Cal Athletics
Cal Offense Erupts With 16-0 Win At Northwestern
EVANSTON, Ill. – Led by two home runs from senior designated hitter Devin Pearson and sophomore catcher Brett Cumberland, the California offense exploded, as the Golden Bears (26-18, 11-13 Pac-12) scored in every inning and defeated Northwestern, 16-0, Saturday afternoon at R&B Miller Park. It was the first time under head coach David Esquer that Cal scored in every inning in a game.
“Great effort by Mason and the offense,” Esquer said. “Ryan had three pitches working, and Pearson and Cumberland had some big swings for us. Good to see us swing the bats well and get good pitching.”
It was Pearson's second three-hit game of the season. It was also the first time this year he has homered twice in a game. Pearson ended the day 3-for-5 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored.
Cumberland went 3-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI and two runs scored. It was his second multi-home run performance this season.
They were two of five Bears to pick up multiple hits. Senior third baseman Mitchell Kranson, senior right fielder Sean Peters and sophomore second baseman Preston Grand Pre collected two hits each.
Equally as impressive as the offensive showcase was the efforts of senior pitcher Ryan Mason who improved to 7-2 on the year. He only allowed three hits through six innings of work. Mason also struck out 10 batters, tying his season high and two shy of his career best. He is now tied for third in school history in career wins with 25, and he is 10th in career innings pitched.
“It's nice to throw with a lead before I even throw a pitch,” Mason said. “I have to give a lot of credit to the offense today in their impressive feat of scoring in every frame. I felt good from the get-go. I was able to throw strikes with all my pitches and get ahead in the count, which always makes pitching easier. The defense was there to pick me up on a few plays, but it's always good to come out and start a series like this.”
After the Bears scored a run in the first and second innings, they broke the game open when Pearson and Cumberland each hit their first home runs in the third inning to increase Cal's lead to 4-0.
It was the sixth inning, though, when Cal took a stranglehold on the game with four runs. Pearson hit his second home run of the game, a two-run blast that scored junior center fielder Aaron Knapp. Later in the inning, Cumberland belted his second round-tripper, also a two-run homer that scored Kranson. The two homers gave Cal a 10-0 lead after six.
Cal added three more runs in the eighth when Grand Pre doubled home Kranson. It was Kranson's third run scored on the day. Later in the inning, a triple by Peters scored Grand Pre and sophomore left fielder Denis Karas.
The Bears continue this four-game series with a doubleheader tomorrow with games starting at 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. PT. Fans are encouraged to follow along on social media throughout the season. Get live updates during games on Twitter @Cal_Baseball, or look for updates and photos on Facebook at Facebook.com/CalBaseball and @CalBaseball on Instagram. Fans can also log on to CalBears.com for full game recaps and the latest news.