The Cal baseball team stayed alive for at least one more day with a 10-6 victory over Alcorn State in the Houston regional of the 2011 NCAA baseball tournament. The loss eliminates Alcorn State from the tournament, while Cal advances in the loser’s bracket to face the loser of Rice and Baylor.
The Bears looked to be in trouble early on as Alcorn State jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning. The Braves chased Cal starter Kevin Miller with six hits in the inning. Justin Jones came on in relief and provided 6 1/3 inning of key pitching. He gave up two runs in the ninth, but by then the game was well in hand for Cal.
The Bears bounced back from the 4-0 deficit in the top of third with five hits, a walk and an error. Three doubles were key as Cal put up a six spot in the third. Cal added one run in the eighth and three more in the ninth to complete the victory. Alcorn State added two runs in the bottom of the ninth, but they could not complete the comeback and lost 10-6.
Cal will next play on Sunday at noon pacific. They’ll face the loser of Baylor and Rice, with first pitch for that game scheduled for 4:15pm pacific on Saturday. The winner of Cal-Rice/Baylor will then play the winner of Rice-Baylor at 4:00pm on Sunday. Coverage for Cal will be broadcast on KALX 90.7 FM.