Cal Baseball Takes the Series Against No. 23 Virginia

Cal won an ACC baseball series for the second time this season, and this time the Bears did it on the road against the No. 23-ranked team in the country.

On Sunday freshman Jett Kenady hit a seventh-inning grand slam to help Cal defeat 23rd-ranked Virginia 8-7 in the rubber game of the three-game series in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Cal (27-24, 10-17 ACC) came close to sweeping the series. The Bears won Friday’s opener 7-4, and lost Saturday’s second game 2-1 despite taking a 1-0 lead into the seventh in a game in which Cal starter Gavin Eddy struck out 14 batters and allowed just one run in seven innings.

The Bears trailed Sunday’s game 5-4 entering the seventh inning. The Bears loaded the bases with two outs, when Kenady smacked his 10th home run of the season to score four runs and push Cal ahead 8-5.

LIFT-OFF! 🛫

Freshman Jett Kenady with a two-out GRAND SLAM against the No. 4 reliever in the nation!#GoBears pic.twitter.com/uD1RpLjUoL
— Cal Baseball (@CalBaseball) May 10, 2026

Virginia (33-18, 13-14 ACC) scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to reduce the Cal lead to 8-7, but reliever Trent Roach entered the game in the top of the eighth for the Bears and retired all six batters he faced in the final two innings to record his first save of the season.

Daniel Murillo had two hits for Cal, including his 11th home run of the season.

423 FT FOR MANDO! 💣

Daniel Murillo brings us back to within 1 with his 11th homer of the season!#GoBears pic.twitter.com/IaOEQBhXcW
— Cal Baseball (@CalBaseball) May 10, 2026

Virginia’s Joe Tiroly went 4-for-5 and had three home runs and four RBIs, but it was not enough.

A key defensive play was provided by Cal freshman Brady Errecart, who made just his second start of the season at second base.

THE FRESHMAN WITH THE PLAY OF THE WEEKEND! 👏

Brady Errecart covers a ton of ground and makes a perfect throw to keep this a one-run game!#GoBears pic.twitter.com/Yv0ZhQtg3Y
— Cal Baseball (@CalBaseball) May 10, 2026

The Bears previous series win in the conference was also on the road, when Cal swept Pittsburgh last month. Seven of Cal's 10 conference wins have come on the road, and the Bears are 3-9 in ACC home games..

Cal finishes the regular season with a three-game series against Stanford in Berkeley on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, then will compete in the ACC tournament, starting on May 1 in Charlotte, North Carolina.

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