After a disappointing ACC debut over the weekend, Cal looked to course-correct against UConn in its single-game bout on St. Patrick’s Day.

The record-breaking heat wave going on during the start of the game seemed to rub off on junior designated hitter Hideki Prather, as he blasted a leadoff home run on the first pitch of the game.

Despite this smoldering start, the Bears seemed to cool down quickly, with Husky pitcher Charlie Hale keeping them in check.

Hale came into the matchup hot with a 2-0 record and a 1.59 ERA. His pitching prowess was on display early on, shutting out the Bears for three straight innings and fanning six batters.

UConn’s offense took advantage of the opportunity to build a lead, driving in three runs in the second inning from a flurry of singles and a catcher’s interference call on freshman Lawson Olmstead. The Huskies followed this up by putting up a run in both the fourth and fifth innings, leaving the score at 5-1 headed into the bottom of the fifth.

As Cal sat stuck in the mud, a little luck came their way.

With Olmstead on base via a walk, redshirt freshman utility Joshua Hanson grounded into what looked to be an out, but UConn’s third baseman overthrew first base. Olmstead ran into third, and Hanson stole second.

Junior outfielder Gannon Snyder capitalized on this Husky mistake, smacking an RBI double. Prather followed up Snyder with a sac-fly, putting the Bears just two runs behind.

UConn did not waste any time topping this, mashing back-to-back home runs in the top of the sixth inning. With two outs on the board, Tyler Minick came to the plate and hit a 2-run shot. Jackson Marshall decided to join in on the fun, clobbering a ball out to deep center field and setting the score at 8-3.

Cal was unable to muster any sort of rally after the home run attack, losing 9-3 and dropping a fifth consecutive game.

It was not a good night for the Bears on multiple fronts, as they were outhit 16-4, struck out ten times and committed a season-high four errors.

“You have to get those moments of experience where even if it’s some failure, you are going to learn from it,” said Cal head coach Mike Neu. “You are going to be prepared the next time you are in that situation, because you have been through it.”

One silver lining was Olmstead’s play behind the plate. The catcher’s interference call did not shake him, as he threw out two runners trying to steal within the first five innings. He also tagged out a runner tagging up to home after Hanson sent a bullet his way.

The Bears will look for a fresh start — as well as their first ACC wins of the year — heading into the first road trip of the season. Cal begins the six-game stretch this weekend in Massachusetts, facing off in a three-game series against Boston College.

Currently sitting at 12-8, the Eagles have had a season filled with ups and downs. They have already played two series against ACC opponents, stealing a series win against No. 24 Miami and most recently dropping two of three against No. 10 NC State.

Much of Boston College’s offensive production has come from outfielder Nick Wang, who has hit nine home runs and 30 RBIs with a 1.063 OPS. On the mound, the Bears will likely face AJ Colarusso in the first game of the series, who has posted a 4.37 ERA through his first five starts.

If the Bears want to make some noise in the ACC, a competitive series win against the Eagles would be a great start. Boston College has proven through wins against ranked opponents that they are a strong team, so a series win for Cal would be a huge step in the right direction.

“We’ve had some success, but as you play some really good teams, the margin for error becomes thinner,” Neu said. “We have to play cleaner games, play better and be big in big moments, and I know that this team will do that as we play more.”