PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State dropped its series-opener to California 13-6 at Bailey-Brayton Field Friday evening.
 
The Cougars (9-18, 4-0 Pac-12) received two-hit games from Andres Alvarez, Justin Harrer and Robert Teel while Harrer slugged his team-leading seventh home run of the season. The Golden Bears (20-11, 6-7 Pac-12) recorded 15 hits and used pair of big innings, a six-run second inning and four-run sixth, to take the opener.
 
Harrer gave the Cougars a 1-0 lead with a two-out homer to left center in the first inning. Cal answered quickly with six runs on five hits and an error in the third inning. Cal pushed three runs across on a bases-loaded triple, one on a single up the middle, one on an infield single to third base and another on a ground out.
 
Cal extended the lead to 10-1 with four more runs in the sixth inning. The Bears used two hits, received four walks and a pair of wild pitches in the inning.
 
The Cougars picked up a run in the sixth on JJ Hancock's sacrifice fly before adding three more runs in the seventh after a Alvarez RBI-single and a pair of bases-loaded walks that cut the lead to 10-5. The Golden Bears put the game out of reach with three more runs on four hits in the eighth inning. WSU added another run in the eighth on a California error.
 
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
Justin Harrer hit his team-leading 7^th home run, the most by a Cougar since 2013 (Yale Rosen and Jason Monda both hit 7)
JJ Hancock singled in the 2nd inning to extend his on-base streak to 14 straight games
Robert Teel recorded 2 hits, his first career multiple-hit game as a Cougar
 
NEXT UP
The series will wrap up Saturday with a doubleheader scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.