Cal Softball: Bears Sweep Boston in First ACC Series
Bell leads explosive offense with Anders & Butler to keep the streak alive at 13 wins
After weeks of anticipation, and a quick–almost forgettable–stop in Davis, the California Golden Bears (19-4, 3-0 ACC) have begun conference play, hosting the Boston College Eagles in their first ACC home opener over the weekend. The Bears smashed their way through the Aggies (6-18, 1-2 Big West) on Wednesday 7-3, and continued their winning ways in a three game series against the Eagles (10-8, 0-3 ACC) by scores of 5-3, 12-4 (5), and 4-3.
UC Davis, March 5th:
In Davis, the Bears entered play strong, riding off the momentum of sweeping three teams in five games in the Fresno State Tournament the weekend prior. The Aggies on the other hand arrived the victims of a miserable 13 game losing streak. For the occasional UC Davis alum like myself who is reading this: I would recommend skipping to the next paragraph now. The day began with a Lagi Quiroga solo home run on the first at bat of the game, the third time she’s opened a game by going yard. Three more runs were scored by the Bears thanks to RBI doubles from Acacia Anders and Nailyn Marshall. Additionally, Kaylee Pond reached home off an Aggies fielding error, putting Cal up 4-0, a lead they would never relinquish. In the second inning Quiroga added another run to the board with an RBI single, and in the fourth Anders added another two runs with a 2-RBI single.
UC Davis would not go down without a fight, scoring one run from an RBI double in the second, an RBI hit by pitch with the bases loaded in the third, and an RBI single in the fourth. However, California relief pitcher Ashanti McDade kept the Aggies from scoring any further runs, shutting them out from the fifth inning onwards to maintain Cal’s lead. Three pitchers took to the circle for California in Wednesday's contest, combining for 3 ER and 7 strikeouts. Anna Reimers got the starting nod, and would record her third win of the season with two innings pitched, 1 ER, 2 hits, and 3 walks. Ryann Orange was called in relief, giving up 2 ER, 5 hits, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts before Ashanti McDade closed things out allowing 0 ER, 3 hits, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts, earning her first save of the season.
Cal Picks Up Their First, March 7th:
On Friday afternoon, Levine-Fricke Field came to life for the first time since May of last year. After a month of neutral site games in tournaments across California and Arizona, Cal kicked off ACC play with a three game series against Boston College. “We love playing at home in front of our own fans,” first basewoman Tianna Bell said while describing how it felt to play in Berkeley again. “Our own vibes, our own music. There’s no place like Berkeley, so it was great to finally be at home.” In the hour before the first pitch was thrown, the Cal softball supporters (myself included) in the stands appeared quite optimistic and energetic. Fans and players alike craved a first game win to set the tone and introduce the “new team on the block” to the conference.
As expected, the Bears rose to the occasion, keeping Boston College in check the entire way en route to a 5-3 victory. The Eagles began the first inning scoring a run off a well placed double in right field, but their rally would be quickly cut short by Tiana Bell nabbing a bunt turned pop fly, and pitcher Miranda De Nava throwing her second strikeout of the game. The lead Boston College put up disappeared three batters into Cal’s lineup, when shortstop Acacia Anders sent a 2-run dinger over the fence in left center for the first home run in Levine-Fricke Field of the 2025 season (and her first of the season too).
The Bears continued to add to their lead, much to the delight of fans watching. In the second inning, with second basewoman Mia Phillips on third and third basewoman Nailyn Marshall on first, center fielder Mika Lee laid down a perfect bunt that landed next to the first base line but never crossed into foul territory. By the time Eagles pitcher Bailey Kendziorski realized the ball wasn’t going to move, Phillips had already scored from third and Lee had reached first. In the third, left fielder Kaylee Pond and Tianna Bell notched consecutive doubles to score a fourth run for the Bears.
Boston College showed signs of life in the fourth inning, capitalizing on a pair of walks from De Nava, a fielder’s choice, and a single from relief pitcher Ashanti McDade to load the bases with one out. Despite the advantage, Boston College would only score one run off a fielder’s choice before a valiant dive to snag a line drive out of the air by Bell would rob the Eagles of any further runs. “It’s react now, think later, especially playing a hot corner,” said Bell when asked about how she reacted to the ball in that moment. “You just kind of do whatever your body tells you to do and you go with it.” The Cal junior’s quick reflexes immediately pulled the Bears out of the jam, and crucially maintained their lead heading into the final three frames.
The heroics from Bell however were not done yet. To pile onto her already impressive day, Bell added a one-run bomb to right center that cleared the back fences and left the park in the fifth inning. A late rally in the final inning by Boston College would bring home a third run, but the Bears shut the door quickly on the Eagles, ending any chance at a comeback.
McDade was awarded the win in this contest, putting her at 3-0. She allowed 1 ER on 4 hits and 2 strikeouts. Starter De Nava seemed to have difficulty finding the strike zone and getting into her rhythm in her start against the Eagles, throwing a season high 4 walks while allowing 2 ER off 3 hits and 3 strikeouts.
No Mercy in The Second, March 8th:
The second game between California and Boston College can only be described as a run bonanza. Cal thoroughly outscored their opponent 12-4, ending the game by mercy rule in the fifth inning in walk-off fashion (a fan favorite, judging by the blue & gold faithful’s reaction). Heroics came through in spades from the Bears’ dugout and bullpen, with clutch performances and career days across the entire Cal lineup.
Elon Butler and Tianna Bell opened up the day by obliterating a pair of 2-RBI home runs into nearly the exact same spot in left field in the first inning, picking up four runs in half as many hits. The Eagles responded quickly in the top of the second with a home run to center field. However starter Annabel Teperson settled things down quickly, throwing a pair of strikeouts to retire the side without any further damage.
Despite a roaring 4-1 offensive start and a stellar four strikeout on seven batters pitching performance through two innings, disaster would strike in the third for the Bears. A well placed double, a throwing error, and a fielding error negated Cal’s early lead and ended Teperson’s otherwise solid day in the circle. Pitcher Anna Reimers would step in to relieve Teperson with runners on first and second, putting away the next three batters she faced via ground out, strike out, and pop out. While both offenses would then quiet down afterwards, for Boston College the reprieve from Cal’s hot bats would be thankfully brief.
In my interview with Tianna Bell, we discussed what Cal Softball achieving their full potential looked like. “I would say [when we’re] being a unit,” she told me. “Keeping each other focused, and keeping the energy up in times of adversity.” We both agreed that Cal Softball is loud, energetic, and focused on doing even the little things right, all while having fun. I am confident when I say that the fourth and fifth inning of Saturday’s game displayed Cal’s full potential. Or, at the very least, it was extremely close to their full potential. The Bears were loud, energetic, focused, and were having more fun than even the most energetic of fans.
The fourth inning began with a masterful 1-2-3 pitching showcase from Reimers, putting away all three batters via strike out, foul out, and ground out to keep Boston College far away from taking the lead. Designated hitter Carly Raven walked on the first at bat to start the bottom of the frame. She was one of five Bears walked by Eagles starting pitcher Abby Dunning and relievers Kelly Colleran and Bailey Kendziorski that inning, with catcher Lagi Quiroga being walked twice for a total of six.
Following up on their statement first at bats, our hard hitting duo of Elon Butler and Tiana Bell scored another two runs each off of a pair of 2-RBI doubles. Mika Lee tacked on one more with an RBI single, launching the Bears from being tied at four, to taking a commanding 9-4 lead. Cal was not done yet. Soon after with the bases loaded, Nailyn Marshall would reach first, advancing a runner on third for the sixth run of the inning. A walk on the following at bat would put Cal at 11-4, tantalizingly close to an eight run lead heading into the 5th inning. All they needed was to hold defensively and score one more run.
Reimers again delivered, allowing only two singles past her in the entire top of the fifth, while recording her third and final strikeout of the day. Cal only needed one run to walk things off. Bell and Lee hit consecutive singles, putting runners at first and second, setting up second basewoman Mia Phillips with a runner in scoring position. “My plan was just to look for a pitch that I liked,” Phillips explained after the game. “She’s a really great pitcher, so I knew she was going to attack the zone. So I was just waiting for a pitch that I knew I could hit well.” Phillips found her pitch, slapping a game-sealing walk-off RBI double into center field, reaching second before the mob of teammates reached her.
Reimers was awarded her fourth win of the season, allowing 0 ER off 2 hits and 3 strikeouts in relief of Teperson, a stellar performance for the veteran pitcher. Teperson did well from the starting nod, allowing 2 ER on 5 hits and 4 strikeouts.
Bust Out the Brooms for the Third, March 9th:
While not as high scoring as the day before, Sunday’s matchup was no less eventful, though I regrettably could not attend in person. Cal would come back from behind to win the final game against Boston College 4-3, picking up their third consecutive win in ACC play and the coveted bragging rights included when sweeping an opposing team.
The contest would begin with a pitchers duel between starting pitchers Anna Reimers and Kelly Colleran. The two would be nearly perfect through two complete innings, Reimers throwing a hitless shutout, annf only allowing a single in the second but otherwise shutting out the Bears. Reimers blinked first, allowing an RBI single to give the Eagles the 1-0 lead in the top of the third. Cal scored their own RBI single off the bat of Lagi Quiroga in the bottom of the same frame, tying things up at one.
Boston College responded by opening up a wider lead in the fourth with a solo home run into left field and another RBI single. Pitcher Ryann Orange was then called in to relieve Reimers in the circle. Tiana Bell would not be denied, tacking on a third home run in as many games to cut the deficit down to one in the fourth inning. Kaylee Pond handed Cal two runs in the fifth, taking the lead for the first time in the game off a 2-RBI double. This would prove to be enough for a third victory thanks to a great 3 and a third hitless innings from Orange. Reimers ended the day giving up 3 ER or 4 hits, 1 walk, and 1 strikeout, and Orange picked up her fifth win of the season, recording 0 hits, 1 walk, and 4 strikeouts.
Consistently Moving Forward:
Cal softball has much to prove, and a long season still ahead of them. However, with that said, it appears the Bears are moving in the right direction. We’ve seen glimmers and hints of the potential and greatness of Cal Softball. According to Tianna Bell, there’s always room for improvement, a sentiment shared by her teammate Elon Butler. Both players emphasized that it is hard to repeat greatness in such an on-and-off sport like softball, but both are focusing on maintaining their performances as Cal moves further into ACC play.
Moving along to what’s next: the Bears take on the Hornets and Yellowjackets. First and foremost, Cal heads north for a quick trip to the state capital for a game against the Sacramento State Hornets. Originally scheduled for Wednesday, the game has been rescheduled to Thursday at 3pm due to inclement weather.
The following day, the Bears are back in Berkeley for a three game series against the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets. All three games against Georgia Tech will be streamed on the ACC Network and ESPN+. If you have not seen a Cal Softball game this year at home, I highly recommend you go. In the closing moments of our interview, Tianna Bell wanted to emphasize all of Bear Territory should “come out and support Cal Softball. We’re going to give you a show, and we’re going to prove we belong in the ACC.” Tickets start at $9 for general admission ($8 on Fun Friday) at Levine-Fricke Field, or $28 for reserved seats behind home plate, and can be obtained through Cal’s website.