FRESNO, Calif. -- The Cal State East Bay baseball team staged an impressive comeback, but ultimately lost a heartbreaker in 11 innings to Fresno Pacific by a final score of 6-5 in Friday's series opener.

The home team grabbed an early lead with five unearned runs in the second inning against East Bay starter Michael Pope. 

The Pioneers finally got the bats going in the fourth, getting three runs back. Ryan Kochan led off the frame with a walk, then Jason Fletcher singled, Marcus Williams doubled, and Daniel Carney singled against FPU's Drew Merlo. 

East Bay scored again in the seventh when Marcus Wise and Rudy Navarro traded doubles, but they headed to the ninth still trailing 5-4. A walk and an error put two runners on for the Pioneers in the top of the ninth. Down to their last out, Myles Babitt pinch hit and laced an RBI single to left field to tie the game.

Fresno Pacific had a good chance in the 10th, and the Pioneers loaded the bases in the 11th, but neither squad managed to score. Angel Lara tossed three innings of scoreless relief for East Bay and was removed after putting two base runners on in the 11th. Justin Harr came in a got a strikeout, but then he walked Nick Pate to load the bases, and hit pinch-hitter Byran Bucher with a pitch to plate the winning run.

The Pioneers and Sunbirds totaled 11 hits in an the extra-inning contest. Williams, Navarro, and Chris Porter had two knocks each, and Kochan reached base three times with a hit and a pair of walks. 

The series concludes on Saturday, Mar. 21 with a doubleheader starting at 11 a.m.