Cal falls in rugby championship

The Golden Bears were defeated by Life University 60-5 on Saturday in the national collegiate rugby 15s championship final at Santa Clara’s Stevens Stadium.

Cal, which started seven frosh-sophs against an older and more experienced team in the Running Eagles, got its lone try in the 11th minute from captain Thomas Robles. The Bears finish their spring 15-a-side schedule at 22-3.

Life flyhalf Duncan Van Schalwyck, who contributed 11 points on four conversions (4 for 6) and a penalty (1 for 1), was named MVP as the Running Eagles won the final to finish their spring 15s at 17-0.

“We had a very narrow path to victory today, and we knew it,” Cal coach Jack Clark said. “In the end we were second best, all day, at everything.”

The rugby program now transitions back to sevens, the Olympic format in which Cal has received a bid to compete May 18-19 at the National Collegiate 7s in Glendale, Colorado.

Baseball

STANFORD ROLLS >> Secondranked Stanford exploded for a program-record 28 hits in a 25-5 win at Utah. The Cardinal (35-6, 16-4 Pac-12) plated 25 runs, the most since a 25-6 win at Nevada on April 10, 1995. Stanford hit a season-high four home runs, tying a season high with 10 runs in the fifth inning while playing error-free for the fifth straight game.

Andrew Daschbach, who hit his 13th home run of the season, led the Cardinal with five RBIs. Nico Hoerner and Christian Robinson had three RBIs apiece. CAL CAN’T HOLD LEAD AT USC >> After taking an eight-run lead only to see host USC rally late to tie the game, Cal (25-19, 10-13 Pac-12) ended up losing to the Trojans (21-21, 9-14) 9-8 on a bases-loaded walk in the 14th inning at Dedeaux Field in Los Angeles.

The Bears finished with 14 hits, led by Tanner Dodson who finished 4 for 6. Max Flower and Ripken Reyes each had three hits, and Tyrus Greene had two.

NFL

DAVISON JOINS CHIEFS >> Outside linebacker Raymond Davison III signed as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Chiefs the team announced Saturday and is participating in the club’s rookie minicamp. Davison joins two of his 2017 Cal teammates — Devante Downs (Minnesota Vikings, 225th pick overall) and James Looney (Green Bay Packers, 232nd pick overall) — as rookies on NFL rosters.

Softball

UTAH STATE 3, SAN JOSE STATE 2 >> After a 12-hit and eight-run attack in a victory on Friday, the Spartans (3116, 15-7 MW) managed just four hits and two runs in the loss on the road to the Aggies (18-30, 7-13). Madison Aurin and Kaelin Amrein drove in the runs for the Spartans as they took a 2-0 lead in the first.