Top Power-Hitting Duo Leads Cal Past Aggies

David Cooper and Josh Satin already make up the most dangerous middle of any lineup in the Pac-10.

And after yesterday's power display against UC Davis, it looks like Cooper and Satin are now gunning for the title of most dangerous offensive 1-2 punch in the nation.

Satin hit a three-run home run in the third inning, Cooper hit a two-run shot to key a four-run seventh, and the No. 16 Cal baseball team exploded for 18 hits in a 13-4 rout of the Aggies yesterday afternoon at Evans Diamond.

"They've just done it for us all year," coach David Esquer said. "It's pretty unusual to be that consistent with your power guys, especially here. This isn't the most offensive yard, and you start to think a little bit about what their numbers would be like at the Arizona schools and it's pretty mind-boggling."

It was the 19th homer of the season for Cooper and the 16th for Satin, tying them for the highest total by two teammates in Division I college baseball with Justin Smoak and Phil Disher of South Carolina.

Satin's shot off of UC Davis starter Trevor Fox gave the Bears a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the third. After the Bears (30-15-2) added a run in the fourth, the Aggies cut the deficit in half on a two-run single by Kevin James in the top of the sixth.

That was as close as UC Davis (29-17) would get, as Cal scored four runs in the seventh and three in the eighth to put the game out of reach.

"Coop's been doing this for the past couple years and it's myself and Jackson and the other guys that are kind of stepping up," Satin said. "That's just what Cooper does, and I'm just trying to follow in his act."

The home runs from Cooper and Satin both scored left fielder Charlie Cutler, who had a career day by going 5-for-5 from the plate. Cutler doubled twice, singled three times, scored four runs and made a nice sliding catch on a shallow fly ball in the ninth inning.

"It was just surreal," Cutler said. "Everything went well. A lot of other guys hit well too, that always makes it easier. And it's just a really nice win after that loss on Sunday."

The 2-5 hitters for Cal were a combined 11-16 and drove in 11 of the Bears' runs. Center fielder Brett Jackson crushed a two-run homer into Edwards Stadium in the seventh and tacked on a sacrifice fly in the eighth to increase his RBI total to 38.

That puts him in a tie for the third-highest total on the team with right fielder Blake Smith, who also drove in a pair yesterday with a two-out, two-run double in the eighth.

It was more than enough offense as Cal got a strong relief appearance from Kevin Miller, who came in for starter Chris Petrini in the third and allowed just two runs in five innings to improve his record to 6-0.

"That's his value," Esquer said. "He came in and helped us win on Saturday and he wins the game today for us. We've still got to be careful not to overuse him, but within the context of what he's doing, he can help us win multiple games."

Tags: