Box Score SAN FRANCISCO -- Cal State East Bay freshman Marcus Williams led off the 12th inning with a triple, and senior Zac Chuvala singled him home to give the Pioneer baseball team a 5-4 win in the series opener at San Francisco State on Friday. Junior Brian Bynum picked up a win for the second straight game with 4.1 innings of scoreless relief.

The Pioneers have now won five straight and 13 of their last 15, improving their record to 28-17 overall and 22-15 in California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) play. 

The squads combined for 26 hits and four errors in the game, with the Gators out-hitting the Pioners 16 to 13. The pitchers combined to walk just three batters in 12 innings, however, as neither team needed to go very deep into its bullpen.

East Bay built a 4-0 lead over the first five innings before SF State rallied to force extras. The road team struck first in the top of the first after Kelly Starnes got things started with a double. Marcus Wise then reached on a bunt single, and the Pioneers picked up a run when Starnes scored on a double steal.

It was deja vu for East Bay two innings later. Starnes roped a ground rule double to left to lead off the frame. After Wise beat out another bunt single, they attempted another double steal, and Wise stayed in the rundown long enough for Starnes to score the second run of the game. With two outs, Brandon Alexander started another rally by hitting a single and stealing second. Ryan Kochan picked up the RBI with a base hit to left.

Alexander also scored the fourth Pioneer run after he led off the top of the sixth with another single. Kochan bunted him to second, and then Daniel Carney roped a single up the middle to make it 4-0.

In the final regular season start of his career, senior Nick Hudson cruised through the first five innings before running into trouble in the bottom of the sixth. The Gators loaded the bases with no outs on two singles and a walk, and then scored their first run on a sacrifice fly. Hudson minmized the damage, getting the next batter out on a dribbler to the catcher. But then Joe Chedid reached on an infield single, and Hudson's throwing error allowed a third SFSU run to score.

The Gators tied the game in the bottom of the seventh. With two outs and nobody on base, Carter Loud walked and came around to score on Danny Espinosa's double to the gap.

Hudson exited the game after allowing three earned runs and striking out one in seven innings. Senior Taylor Kruger started the eighth inning for the Pioneers and recorded two outs. Head coach Bob Ralston turned to Brian Bynum with a pair of runners on base, and the junior got the last out to preserve the tie.

Neither team scored for four straight innings as Bynum and SF State reliever Taylor Wade mowed through hitters. In the bottom of the 11th, the Gators got a leadoff single from Danny Souza and advanced him to second with a bunt. Dillon Meyer then lined a base hit up the middle, but Starnes gunned down Souza at home with a perfect throw to Tyler Buchanan. 

Williams kept the momentum in the Pioneer dugout, leading off the 12th with a triple into left-center. Two pitches later, Chuvala lined a single up the middle and East Bay once again had the lead.

SF State came back and loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the 12th. But with the tying and winning runs on base, Bynum retired the last two hitters to preserve the victory. The right-hander has now pitched 8.0 scoreless innings with no walks and six strikeouts over his last four appearances. 

Starnes and Alexander both finished with three hits and two runs scored. Wise (2-for-6) and Williams (2-for-5) both notched multi-hit games as well. Kochan, Carney, and Chuvala all had a hit and an RBI. Kochan also swiped his 10th base of the season in 11 chances. 

The Pioneers and Gators travel to Hayward to continue the series with a doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 12 p.m. The twinbill will conclude this season's home schedule for Cal State East Bay, which will honor its 13 seniors with a brief ceremony prior to the second game.