Cal Softball: Blue Devils Sweep Golden Bears
California struggled at the plate and in the circle in first ACC conference series of 2026
SACRAMENTO – The California Golden Bears (8-17, 0-3 ACC) started off conference play on the wrong foot this past weekend, dropping all three games of their first ACC series to the #25 Duke Blue Devils (15-9, 3-0 ACC). Cal entered their home opener 8-14 after splitting their games in the Judi Garman Classic, with wins against Seattle, Oregon State, and ETAMU, and losses against BYU, #8 Florida, and CSU Fullerton. Meanwhile Duke arrived on the west coast at 12-9, riding high as the winners of three straight after putting Northwestern and Ohio State down easily in the Duke Invitational Tournament in Durham, NC.
Due to renovations currently underway for Cal’s new softball facility, the Bears traveled two hours north of Berkeley to Shea Stadium, on the campus of Sacramento State University.
Friday, Game 1: Cal 0-12 #25 Duke (5)
Junior Tamya Waiters took to the circle for her first start in ACC play having picked up her first recorded win a week prior against Oregon State. The right-handed pitcher quickly gave up a run to Duke off a first pitch single from the bat of CF D’Auna Jennings, and a first pitch RBI double from 2B Aminah Vega. After that, Waiters settled down and delivered a strikeout on top of two put-outs to keep the Blue Devils lead to a narrow 1-0.
Waiters’ counterpart Cassidy Curd stepped up as the starting pitcher for Duke, and threw the second no-hitter of her career, preventing Cal from even hoping of catching up. The closest the Bears came to scoring in game one was in the bottom of the fourth inning. Shortstop Gator Robinson reached first on a seven pitch walk, and advanced to second and third on a pair of groundouts. However, designated player Kyndal Todd couldn’t bring Robinson home, instead lining out to first base to end the frame.
After a silent inning and a half, Duke added another run when 1B Jayla Stafford took one for the team with the bases loaded. That second run spelled the end of Tamya Waiters’ day. She was pulled from the circle having thrown 2.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, and 1 K. Sophomore Taylor Peacock was called on by Head Coach Steve Singleton to relieve Waiters, and gave up an RBI-single off her second pitch of the game. The Bears stopped the bleeding at 3-0 on the following at bat as the Blue Devils flew into a 7-2 double play, ending the top of the third.
The top of the fourth and fifth saw Duke put the final nails in the coffin for game one. In a repeat of the events of the third inning, the Blue Devils again loaded the bases in the fourth, this time picking up an RBI hit-by-pitch from 3B Tyrina Jones, an RBI ground out from DP KK Mathis, an RBI single from Stafford, and a RBI scored off a fielding error to go up 7-0. With the end of the fourth Peacock was also pulled from the circle. She threw 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, and 3 ER. Kiki Mashhoud entered the game in relief at the start of the following inning. In the fifth, Duke put up an additional five runs on the Bears, giving them a 12-0 lead. That lead became the final score three quick outs later as the mercy rule activated. Mashhoud’s day was finished after 1.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, and 3 ER.
Friday’s game marked the first time Cal has been held hitless since 2024, when the Golden Bears played the Ragin’ Cajuns in their second game of the Louisiana Classic in Lafayette, LA. WP: Cassidy Curd (7-2) 5.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 5 K’s. LP: Tamya Waiters (1-5) 2.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K.
Saturday, Game 2: Cal 1-3 #25 Duke
California and Duke met for the second time on a very windy Saturday in Sacramento. Wind speeds averaged around 15 mph in a NNW direction (blowing from the left field foul pole towards home plate), with gusts reaching 20 mph. Needless to say, hitting a fly ball was a risky prospect, especially when hitting towards left field.
Freshman Mya McGowan was given the starting nod from Coach Singleton, her eighth start of the season. McGowan quickly got into a groove in the top of the first, giving up just a lead off double to D’auna Jennings and a walk before sitting down the next three batters in order. Duke’s Cassidy Curd returned to the circle after throwing a no-hitter against Cal just 24 hours prior. In an almost exact mirroring of the top of the frame, the lead off hitter for the Bears–center fielder Kayli Counts–knocked a ground ball up the middle for a quick single before Curds quickly closed out the first inning.
From the second through the middle of the fourth, McGowan and Curds entered into a vicious pitchers’ duel from which neither wished to yield. Duke threatened to score in the second after a wild pitch and passed ball advanced Stafford from first to third. But threaten was all they did. Cal’s catcher Anya German spied baserunner Adelyn Matthews taking off for second base, and threw her out to end the inning.
The scoreless monotony was finally broken by the combined efforts of first baseman Anaya Togia and shortstop Gator Robinson in the bottom of the fourth. With Robinson on first, Togia lined a rocket into right center, sending her teammate all the way home for an RBI double. Cal’s lead was short lived however, as Duke responded in kind in the top of the following frame. SS Jessica Oakland tied up the score with a speedy single down the left field line that got past the glove of third baseman Maddie Rey. Subsequently, Mathis handed Duke their first lead of the game with a solo shot to deep left field in the sixth with no outs, making the score 2-1. Mya McGowan was relieved by Layna Gerhard shortly thereafter, ending her day with 5.0 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, and 1 K.
Beyond their one run in the fourth, the Bears struggled to put together any additional offense. Their only real threat came in the fifth after second baseman Xiomei Geluz reached first on a single into shallow right center. Unfortunately while attempting to steal second Geluz was thrown out, and Cal didn’t pick up another hit the rest of the game. Gerhard kept the Blue Devils from scoring until 2/3rds of the way through the seventh, when Jones tapped a well placed bunt back to the pitcher to score a third run. Gerhard was pulled from the circle after 1.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, and 1 BB, with Tamya Waiters relieving her. Waiters was pulled almost immediately—after giving up a four pitch walk to the only batter she faced—and Taylor Peacock was brought in to close out the top of the frame. Peacock wrapped up her day having thrown four pitches and recording .1 IP. The Golden Bears’ final chance to tie the game or walk it off came and went quietly, as Curd sat down all three batters in order.
California scored one run off three hits from 21 at-bats. Anaya Togia batted the Bears’ only extra base hit (the double in the fourth), while Counts and Geluz each recorded hits. Carly Raven adds another stolen base to her total, putting her at 4-5 sb-att. WP: Cassidy Curd (8-2) 7 IP, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 K. LP: Mya McGowan (3-6) 5 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K.
Sunday, Game 3: Cal 2-7 #25 Duke
In the final game of the series, the Golden Bears raced out to an immediate lead in the first inning against Duke’s pitcher Larissa Jacquez. Freshman right fielder Sophia Everett crushed the second pitch of her first at bat, sending it sailing over the fence in center field to put Cal on the board first 1-0 with one out. The next two batters–Gator Robinson and Anaya Togia–reached first and second on back to back walks before Carly Raven added to Cal’s lead by knocking an RBI single into center field, bringing Robinson home for a quick 2-0 lead heading into the second.
Mya McGowan was called upon to make her second ACC start in as many days, looking to hold onto Cal’s slim lead and secure their first conference win. Through four innings, McGowan did exactly that, allowing only two hits to get past her (a double by 2B Vega in the first, and a solo home run by LF Matthews in the third). The Bears took their 2-1 lead all the way to the fifth inning, when Blue Devils DP Matthis turned on a pitch from McGowan, scoring Duke’s second solo shot home run of the day and tying the game at 2-2. The second home run was enough to pull McGowan from the circle, and Taylor Peacock was called in relief. McGowan closed her second start against Duke with 4 IP, 3 H, and 2 ER.
Peacock picked up the first out of the top of the fifth inning, but then gave up a single, a double, and a 2-RBI single consecutively to put Duke out in front 4-2. The following inning, Anaya Togia stepped into the circle, sitting down all three batters she faced on ten pitches. Peacock returned to the circle for the final inning, where Duke tacked on another 3 runs against her off an RBI double and a 2-RBI single to reach the final score of 7-1, completing a series sweep against the Golden Bears. Taylor Peacock finished her day 2.0 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, and 1 K.
The Bears picked up 2 runs off four hits and 23 at-bats in their final game against Duke. Sophia Everett went 2-3 (HR, RBI) at the plate, while Gator Robinson reached twice (3B, 1 BB). WP: Larissa Jacquez (2-3) 7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2BB. LP: Taylor Peacock(1-2) 2 IP, 7 H, 5 ER, 1 K.
What’s Next?
The Golden Bears return to the Bay Area for their second home series against a team just barely outside the top-25: the North Carolina Tar Heels. The series against North Carolina (along with all other Cal Softball home games) will be played at West Valley College’s Viking Field in Saratoga, CA. Game one begins on Friday, March 13th at 2pm. Go Bears!