Cal Baseball: Losing Streak Finally Snaps, but Bears Drop Two of Three to Wake Forest
California extends their losing streak to 10 games before finally picking up a win and their first ACC win of 2026.
WINSTON-SALEM – The losing streak has finally concluded. After starting off the 2026 season 0-6 in ACC conference play, California took a week off to reset… only to add two more games to their string of losses before finally getting their first conference win of the year.
Cal resumed their rigorous travel schedule with a weekend trip across the country to David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where the Wake Forest Demon Deacons hosted the Golden Bears. The last time these two teams faced off, California pulled off an upset victory in the Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament as the lowest seed, beating the 8-seeded and NCAA Division I Tournament-bound Demon Deacons 14-12 in the second round before Georgia Tech sent the Bears home on a 10-3 blowout loss.
This season, Wake Forest has improved in getting on base and has worked a 17-7 record entering the weekend series, while California collapsed after amassing a 13-3 record with an 11-game winning streak during that span to open the year. California led in each of their last three games against the Boston College Eagles before losing the series via sweep. Head Coach Mike Neu’s record against the ACC after this weekend sits at 10-29.
Game 1, Friday 3/27/2026: California 5 – Wake Forest 9
The California Golden Bears returned to action after a week-long rest to travel back across the country and play in a second consecutive East Coast series. Mike Neu and pitching coach Chris Bodishbaugh stuck with the same three-man rotation we have gotten used to this season, with Oliver de la Torre getting the opening nod on Friday night against Sophomore UNC Wilmington transfer Cameron Bagwell.
The Bears jumped on the board first against Bagwell, who entered Friday’s game with a 2.77 ERA after going 7.0 innings against the Liberty Flames last week, as Hideki Prather jumped on the first pitch of the ballgame again (first time against UCI) to pick up his seventh home run of the season. Lawson Olmstead followed by launching a two-run home run with Kenady on first to extend his hitting streak to eight games, as well as putting Cal ahead 3-0, only for Cade Campbell to join the party and go back-to-back with Olmstead on the very next pitch to make it 4-0 California.
de la Torre had one of his best outings this season for the Bears, going 5.1 innings and striking out nine Deacons while allowing just four hits. He had to be pulled in the 6th inning due to Cal making three throwing errors amidst heavy rainfall that would allow Wake Forest to score three runs before Cole Clark came in to stop the bleeding. The game was then suspended due to the weather and resumed the following morning with Cal up by just the one run.
When the game resumed the next morning, Clark came back out for the Bears and retired the Deacons’ batters in order before surrendering back-to-back base hits and a sac-bunt in the 8th that would bring Otto Espinoza into the game with runners in scoring position. Otto hit his first batter to load the bases, and then Jackson Miller doubled down the left field line to put Wake Forest ahead for the first time in the game, and give them a lead they would never give up, as they would finish the inning scoring five runs on four hits and one error to beat California 9-5. The losing streak extends. Game 1: Wake Forest. WP: Evan Jones (3.0 IP, K, H) LP: Cole Clark (2.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, K)
Game 2, 3/28/2026: California 1 – Wake Forest 4
While California continues to struggle, the one thing that really rubs salt in the wounds is the fact that they seem to score first. For five straight games, they were the first team to jump on the scoreboard before ultimately collapsing to defeat. In this case, there was no early lead. Jordy Lopez got the game started for the Bears with a leadoff single and a stolen base against Sophomore Chris Levonas, but Cal could not get a run across as the Deamon Deacons plated two unearned runs in the bottom half of the 1st against Ethan Foley to take a 2-0 lead over the Golden Bears.
Foley lasted just 4.2 innings against Wake Forest, making this his shortest outing of the season, while he still only gave up two earned runs on a two-run home run from Kade Lewis in the 5th inning, but could not keep his fastball under control as he walked four batters in this game.
Cal was able to avoid a shutout on a Carl Schmidt RBI-single to right that brought home Daniel Murillo from third base, but that would be all of the runs Cal would score as their offense would generate just five hits against the Demon Deacon pitching and extend the losing streak to 10 games. Garrett Mackowiak, Ryan Spalliero, Quinn Larson, and Cade Colombara combined for 3.1 shutout relief innings for Cal, but that would not be enough to awaken a sleeping offense. Game 2: Wake Forest. WP: Chris Levonas (6.1 IP, 5 H, ER, 10 K) LP: Ethan Foley (4.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, K)
Game 3, 3/29/2026: California 5 – Wake Forest 3
The streak finally ends here. California was able to pull off an “upset” victory over Wake Forest on the back of their day-three starting pitcher, Gavin Eddy, who had a career-high nine strikeouts in Sunday’s win over the Demon Deacons to bring Mike Neu and California into the win column in conference play.
Scoreless for five innings of play, California jumped ahead in the top of the 6th with breakout Freshman shortstop Jett Kenady getting into scoring position with a lead-off double and scoring on an RBI-single from Daniel Murillo to put Cal ahead 1-0. With Eddy retiring the side in the bottom half of the 6th, Cal’s offense returned to the plate in the 7th, swinging, leading off the inning with a Tyler LeRoy home run to right field, and Jett Kenady following later in the inning with a two-run home run to give the Bears a four-run lead. Olmstead then went back-to-back with Kenady for his second home run of the series, thus giving Cal their 5th and final run of the series and game with a lead that only a weather delay could destroy.
After surrendering three consecutive singles and an RBI in the bottom of the 7th, Eddy’s day was over, and Larson came in to strike out the Deacons with runners in scoring position and hold Wake Forest to a 5-1 deficit. Larson then gave up a two-run home run to Matt Conte in the 8th to make it a two-run ball game, but Ryan Spalliero was able to work out of the 8th inning jam before creating his own in the 9th that Cole Clark got Cal out of with a double-play to end the game and end the losing streak by giving Cal their first ACC win of the 2026 season. Game 3: California. WP: Gavin Eddy (6.1 IP, 8 H, ER, 9 K) LP: Troy Dressler (5.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K).
California returns home on Tuesday night for a $2 Tuesday East Bay showdown against Saint Mary’s in Berkeley before their weekend series against former Cal Bear Jarren Advincula and Georgia Tech. Gametime against the Gaels is at 6:05 PM and will be streamed on ACCNX/ESPN+.