HAYWARD, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay baseball team dropped the opener of its California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) series to visiting UC San Diego by a final score of 5-0 on Friday afternoon. 

The Tritons (11-6, 7-2 CCAA) captured the shutout victory behind a complete game performance by senior Justin Donatella. The right-hander allowed just one hit and struck out 11 over nine innings. With the loss, the Pioneers drop to 3-6 for the season and 0-5 in league play. 

East Bay got a solid performance from starting pitcher Michael Pope, who held the Tritons scoreless through five innings before giving up a pair of runs in the sixth. The senior ended up allowing five hits and striking out three. He took the loss to drop to 0-2 despite turning in his best outing of the young season.

Senior Daniel Carney got East Bay's lone hit of the game, a single through the left side in the fifth. Freshman Dakota Conners was the only other Pioneer to reach base. He was hit by a pitch in the seventh and stole second, but Donatella stranded him there.

Junior Cole Compton relieved Pope in the seventh and allowed two runs on three hits, as UCSD doubled its lead to 4-0. Michael Frantz followed him out of the bullpen and tossed a scoreless eighth inning. 

Jacob Phillips made his first appearance of the season in the ninth, giving up a hit and the fifth Triton run in one inning of work.

The series continues on Saturday, Feb. 28 with a doubleheader scheduled for 11 a.m. at Pioneer Field. CSUEB will be celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Day as the team looks to secure its first league win of the season.