The Arizona Wildcats (17-15, 5-8) put together a ninth inning rally but fell just short, 10-7, to the California Golden Bears (18-11, 6-4) on Friday night at Hi Corbett Field.

With the game tied 4-4 going into the eighth inning, Cal rallied for six runs and pulled away to take a 10-4 lead. However, the Cats would not go away quietly, as the offense plated a run in the bottom of the eighth to cut the deficit to five runs and scored two before bringing the winning run to the plate in the ninth inning.

Catcher Matthew Dyer put together another masterful night at the plate, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and one double. It was Dyer’s sixth multi-hit performance in his last seven games, and it raised his season batting average to a team-best mark of .407.

Branden Boissiere, who entered the game as a pinch hitter in the fourth inning, also collected a trio of hits. He finished the night 3-for-3 with two runs scored and a walk, giving him the first multi-hit game of his collegiate career.

Outfielder Justin Wylie cranked the first home run of his Wildcats career in the bottom of the fourth, smacking a two-run homer off the batter’s eye in straightaway center field. Wylie finished the game 1-for-2 with one run scored, one home run, three RBI, and three walks.

Arizona starting pitcher Randy Labaut struck out four Cal batters over five innings of work but did not factor into the decision. Nate Brown tossed the ninth inning, posting a scoreless frame with a pair of swinging strikeouts to keep the Wildcats in the game.

The Wildcats will look to even the series with the Golden Bears on Saturday night at Hi Corbett – first pitch is again slated for 6:00 p.m. MST.