Box Score LOS ANGELES — The Pioneer baseball team lost a thriller, 5-4, in 12 innings to 25th-ranked Cal State L.A. in Friday night's series opener. Cal State East Bay (24-11, 14-11 CCAA) banged out 15 hits and erased deficits of 3-0 and 4-3, but couldn't manage to push across the go-ahead run. Ryan Copperstone picked up the win for the Golden Eagles (22-13, 19-6 CCAA) with five innings of scoreless relief.

Senior Matt Fontaine got the start on the mound for the Pioneers and immediately got into some trouble. Cal State L.A. put their first two runners on base with hits, and then a ground out and an RBI single made it 2-0 in favor of the home team. The Golden Eagles extended their lead to 3-0 the following inning thanks to three straight singles. Fontaine settled down and pitched outstanding the rest of the way, but East Bay was in an early hole.

Jordan Wilder got things going offensively with a two-out double in the third off CSULA ace Jordan Sechler. After Wilder stole third, Kyle Zozaya drove him in with an infield single. Brandon Alexander followed with a double into the right-center gap to cap off a huge two-out rally.

Freshman David Elzig tied the game in the top of the fifth inning, driving in Charlie Sharrer with one of his three base hits. It didn't stay 3-3 for long, however. Scott Masik led off the bottom of the inning with a double and eventually scored on James Wharton's sacrifice fly.

The Pioneers trailed 4-3 going into the seventh when they tied the game thanks to another two-out hit. Zozaya led things off with a double down the third base line. After a pair of fly outs, David Castillo shot a single into center to plate Zozaya and tie the game at 4-4.

The score would stay the same for the next five frames. Fontaine pitched eight innings, scattered ten hits, allowed four runs, struck out five, and didn't walk a batter. Left-hander Bryce Vidmar started the ninth for East Bay and gave up a leadoff base hit. He was replaced by senior Ben O'Bryan, making his first relief appearance of the year. Cal State L.A. put the winning run on third base with one out, but O'Bryan came up with a huge strikeout, followed by a ground out to escape the jam.

After getting through two more scoreless frames, he wasn't as lucky in the 12th. The first two batters of the inning struck out, but then Wharton singled to right field, and Cody Doyle drew a walk. The next batter, Tyler Christian, hit a ground ball in the hole. Pioneer shortstop Zac Chuvala ranged into the hole, but the ball kicked off his glove into shallow left, and Wharton came home with the winning run. It was a tough break for Chuvala, who had played a fantastic defensive game to that point.
O'Bryan (3-3) took the loss for the Pioneers. He allowed an unearned run and struck out four in 3.2 innings. All told, the pitchers for both teams combined to allow 29 hits in 23.2 innings, but they issued just three walks.

Zozaya finished 3-for-5 in the game with an RBI and two runs scored. Elzig was 3-for-6 with a run driven in, posting the first three-hit game of his career. Castillo was on base three times, going 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI. Wilder, Sharrer, and Chuvala each had two hits for East Bay, as well.

The series continues Saturday with a doubleheader at Reeder Field. The teams will play a nine-inning game starting at 1 p.m. with a seven-inning game to follow.