Cal leadoff hitter Lagi Quiroga stepped up to the plate against Maryland starter Aubrey Wurst in the top of the first. The sophomore, who clubbed 16 home runs last season, slammed a Wurst pitch over the center field fence.

Quiroga came to bat in the third inning and did the same thing, this time to left field. Quiroga and the Golden Bears’ lineup continued to deliver offensively throughout crucial moments en route to a 13-2 mercy-rule win for No. 21 Cal.

While Maryland couldn’t muster much offense against the Golden Bears, the Terps used a four-inning stretch of scoring en route to a 7-5 win over Utah, splitting their final games of the Kajikawa Classic. The result was worse than Friday, when they won both outings of their doubleheader.

Wurst celebrated her 19th birthday getting her first career start in the circle. The freshman allowed four hits and three runs before Julia Shearer, who pitched a complete game against Cal (3-1) on Friday, entered halfway through the third inning.

Shearer couldn’t find similar success against the Golden Bears, as their offense exploded in the fourth inning with six hits and six runs.

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Each of Cal’s first three batters reached base — redshirt senior Kaylee Pond started with a single, freshman Mia Phillips followed with a triple and sophomore Alyssa Herrera laid down a bunt single. With runners on second and third, Quiroga delivered a two-run single to extend the lead to 7-0.

After hitting a batter and allowing another Cal run, Shearer exited in the fourth inning in favor of junior Bri Godfrey. She gave up another run before the frame ended.

Maryland (3-2) desperately needed offense in the bottom of the fourth. Three Cal errors aided that effort. Miscues from the Golden Bears scored freshman Gracie Wilson, and eventually aided a Mariah Penta RBI single.

But Cal’s offense kept rolling. Sophomore Carly Raven popped up a sacrifice fly and junior Elon Butler crushed the Golden Bears’ fourth home run of the game to score another three runs and grow the advantage to double-digits.

Junior Sydney Lewis homered in the fifth inning, but the deficit was still too large to avoid a mercy-rule defeat, the Terps’ first such loss this season.

Unlike in game one, Maryland struck first in the second game against Utah (1-2). Graduate student Sam Bean, Shearer and junior Sammi Woods all singled, the final scoring Bean for a 1-0 lead in the second inning.

But the Utes evened the score in the bottom of the frame after a walk, an error and a single loaded the bases. A line drive out from redshirt senior Shelbi Ortiz sent freshman Rio Mendez home.

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The Terps’ offense finally found their stride in the third inning. Lewis, their RBI leader from last season, homered for the second time of the day to score three runs.

Matti Benson blasted a two-run home run in the next inning to extend the advantage to 6-1. The freshman notched two hits earlier in the tournament against Miami (OH).

Maryland capitalized heavily on Utah miscues throughout the game. Two errors in the fifth inning helped the Terps get Shearer and Wilson on first and third, respectively, where a third error helped Wilson score for the second time between the two outings.

The Utes’ Shonty Passi slammed an RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the fifth, trimming the deficit to 7-2. The sophomore was a member of the Pac-12 All-Freshman team in 2024.

Utah got even closer to the Terps in the sixth inning after Wurst entered in relief. Apair of walks, two singles and a wild pitch gave the Utes three runs and a realistic comeback attempt. But the freshman settled in the circle in the seventh, striking out two and getting a fly-out for a 7-5 Maryland victory.

Godfrey earned her first win of the season, posting just a 1.40 ERA over five innings. Her strong outing helped offset the poor pitching in the first game.

After easing into the season, the Terps will be tested next weekend at the Bevo Classic. They’ll face Texas twice, a 2024 NCAA finalist, along with a battle against Texas Tech and two against UMass.